secret lovers

After the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto's huge crush on Hinata gradually surfaces and the whole village of Konoha knows it…Well, aside from him. Chronological One-Shots / Post-War / Pre-Last / Contains references from Hiden novels.

Disclaimer: Characters and several scenarios in this work belong to Masashi Kishimoto et al.

entry four

prompt

Hinata helping an amputee Naruto at the hospital. Nightmares.

/clueless/

when someone has no idea about what's going on

"Aaaahhh!"

October was nearing its end as leaves left their branches. It's funny how time flew and here they were acting like pre-pubescent fools.

It was Kiba's fault.

Damn it!

If he didn't just lure him in, he would not fall stupidly like this. He couldn't avoid, but feel a strong sting of pain right where his right arm should be.

"Damn you, Kiba!" The blonde screamed at his brunette friend who hurriedly went to where he was crouching.

"Hey! It's not my fault you're stupid, Naruto! How the hell did you defeat Madara, when you can't even see that a branch of tree will hit you from that angle!"

"Just shut up, dog-breath!" Oh, good grief! It hurts.

Kiba scoffed and helped the knucklehead get up. Who knew I'd defeat Naruto in a simple sneak-out-of the hospital mission.

The blonde got so bored and it was not a surprise that his number one partner in doing something crazily nasty ever since they were still in the academy would conjure an equally no brainer plan to ease his boredom.

Sneak out like how they used to when they went to peep on the girl's bathroom.

"Naruto-kun! Kiba-kun!" The two boys abruptly turned their heads to the direction where the voice was coming from.

"Hinata!"

"Hinata!"

The both said in unison and went to stare each other down afterwards.

"What happened here?" The dark-haired girl asked with a very worried tone, "N-Naruto-kun! You're, you're arm… You're bleeding."

Her features were filled with utmost worry and she gently clasped the wounded part. Oh, Naruto-kun.

"Hi-Hi-Hinata, it's nothing. It's nothing, really!" He said, trying to ease her worries.

"Yeah, right, Naruto. You were reacting about how it hurts a while ago. Stop acting tough just because Hina-"

"Let's just go upstairs." Hinata said with that tone Kiba was all familiar with. It was very Hyuuga and he's just thankful she wasn't facing him. He's not really a fan of her Hyuuga face. It reminded him so much of Neji.

"O-okay, I will help Naruto."

The brunette did so willingly, but it looked like someone wanted to protest, "Hey! Hey! I can definitely do this-"

"Naruto-kun, it would be better if you let Kiba-kun help you." The blonde was astounded. It was cold, authoritative and intimidating. He heard that kind of tone a lot from Neji, but he never did with Hinata. Well, not until now and it was terrifying.

Soon enough, they reached the shared ward then Naruto sat on his bed and let Hinata take care of his wounded arm.

Tch! Kiba couldn't help but feel annoyed by how the blonde idiot look at his teammate. He was staring up at her with that googly eyes and slight pout. He knew that look very much. He's an Inuzuka anyway. But there's a deeper reason for his annoyance. It's actually more on how clueless Naruto was!

"Does it still hurt, Naruto-kun?"

"W-w-well, yeah. I mean no! Not that much anymore, Hinata. Thanks."

"You should know better than listen to Kiba-kun, Naruto-kun." She turned to look at him and the boy went speechless for a while. Over the past few days he spent with her at the hospital, he saw many sides of her he had never seen before. And even after seeing those again and again, he just couldn't help but feel surprised.

"And Kiba-kun, you shouldn't invite Naruto-kun to do such things," she softly reprimanded her teammate and he just shrugged in response.

Sasuke just quietly watched the exchange. She was a Hyuuga after all.

"So how are the two of you doing?" Tsunade entered the room with Sakura, not failing to notice Naruto's still bleeding wound.

"What the hell did you do this time, huh, gaki!?"

The knucklehead did all the explaining and blaming he had to do, but there's no stopping the Godaime.

"We must re-close the wound you just opened because of that stupid head of yours." Tsunade sighed in defeat.

Pfft. He mused.

"Ah, Tsunade-sama, I have to check Sasuke-kun's progress. Maybe, uh, Hinata right there can assist you." Sakura said with a wink towards the shy girl.

"Huh, me?" This earned a scarlet blush from Hinata.

Tsunade, knowing what the two girls were up to, just went along and lead the way to where they should be headed.

"Is that Naruto and Hinata? Where are they going?" Ino asked Sai as the both of them were about to visit Naruto.

The pale-eyed kunoichi was gently guiding the blonde as they followed Tsunade-sama. The boy, on the other hand, felt a little bit embarrassed that Hinata must see this embarassing side of him.

I shouldn't have listened to Kiba!

"Prop yourself here, gaki and Hinata help me with these." The two quietly obliged, but the blonde lady couldn't help but shoot Hinata with a mischievous look.

"Let's do anesthesia for you, young lad,"

Oh, and Tsunade did not miss the wary glance Naruto gave the dark-haired girl before he scoffed.

"I can't definitely go without it, baa-chan!"

You're acting tough, huh, young kid.

"Well, you say so. I didn't really mind hearing you scream, though. I'm just worrying about your lady friend here."

Scream? It must be really painful.

"N-Naruto-kun, I think it would be best if you-"

"I will be okay, Hinata. Don't you worry about me dattebayo!"

"Naruto-kun," he couldn't resist her delicate and worried voice, which also matched her expression.

"Okay, if you say so, Hinata." He voiced out mimicking how soft she sounded.

A smile appeared on Tsunade's face as she saw the brat wavered in front of the gentle Hyuuga.

Well, Sakura might be just right. The girl would save her a lot of struggle and effort in putting Naruto in his place. The boy was known for being headstrong that often caused a lot of time and effort on the Godaime's part. But with the presence of a certain person, she proceeded with the operation with little protests from her boisterous patient.

On the other hand…

"Hey forehead! We saw Naruto and Hinata walking outside. What happened?" Ino asked as she entered the room.

"Well, he played hide-and-seek with Kiba right here," The pink-haired girl pointed at the brunette boy who rolled his eyes in response.

"So why are you not helping Tsunade-sama?" The blonde inquired, but soon got her question answered as Sakura attended Sasuke.

"Ah, oh so, it's Sasuke-kun after all,"

"Shut up, Ino-pig!"

"Huh, we all know forehead!"

Sai just took out his notepad and started jotting down notes.

"So Hinata and Naruto are both so close now, eh?" Ino inquired as Sakura dreamily responded, "I think they're getting started."

"Getting started?" Kiba interjected with a mocking sneer that said they did not know everything.

Both of the girls turned their heads in question.

"He treated Hinata at Ichiraku's before the war broke out and it seemed that something changed from that day on."

"Wha-what do you mean before the war?" The pink-haired girl queried, a little bit shocked.

"Well, that's right after he rejected you."

Sakura fell in silence as embarrassment crawled through her senses. She really shouldn't have done that. Well aside from the fact that she got rejected, she also knew it was stupidly mean and-and Sasuke-kun's just beside her.

She rapidly looked at him but he just pretended to be uninterested and asleep. She knew he's just being sly, and deep inside he was eavesdropping them.

"Well, that-that's-"

"No explaining, forehead. So before the war, huh? I wonder what transpired between them."

"Well, that idiot kept on flirting during the war as well,"

"During the war?!" Both of the girls reacted in unison.

"Yeah, sort of, when we all thought Naruto was a Zetsu, because his chakra felt different. Hinata told us it was the real him, because 'I can tell it through his eyes. And Naruto went all 'It's all in your eyes, Hinata. Don't feel so low or whatever with yourself. You're strong you know. Ugh! He's so damn smooth, eh. " Kiba replicated quite mockingly as the two kunoichi stood stunned.

Ino deduced that something was up with him. How could he find time to pay attention to her eyes during a damn war! Let alone know how she feels just by looking at them. She didn't remember him being a Yamanaka! The blonde interjected, "Could they- could they be… Secretly dating!?"

"What?!" Kiba and Sakura reacted the same time and again, "There's no way that dummy could have figured it out!"

They're totally right. Naruto still hadn't figured any damn thing out and it will still take him about a few years before doing so.

"You're right. You're right." Ino affirmed as Sai noted on the information he was gathering.

It was not long when Tsunade entered the room assisting a groggy-looking Naruto. They questioned the knucklehead's disposition and their Tsunade-sama explained that it was all because of anesthesia and he might go rampage soon considering how hyper he can be. The Godaime left the ward as she was going to have some other things to do, while Hinata went to fetch Naruto some ramen.

Sakura immediately casted Naruto a wary look. She saw what anesthesia can do to the patients. Some people who were very quiet acted in very unexpected ways—hallucinating about things you could only see in a genjutsu. Knowing her teammate, who was unreserved and often rambunctious, she just have to wait what kind of effect this had on him.

The said blonde was now narrowing his eyes and shaking his head as if trying to wake himself up or as if shaking a weird scene away from his eyes.

I couldn't feel anything.

His vision was swirling and clouds seemed to form before him. He didn't like how it felt. He was getting nervous. It was like he didn't know what to do anymore. He wanted to walk and go. Naruto suddenly got scared. God, he was always brave, but not being able to feel your legs and any part of your body was something.

He was unaware by the way he was acting, however his friends who were watching him were now on high alert.

Sakura noticed how he trembled and immediately went to check him up, but Naruto saw her differently. He couldn't really explain it. Somehow he knew it wasn't real, but his head was feeling crazy and he could not tolerate it.

As soon as she scooted closer her, he lightly pushed her away—with eyes confused and frantic. It was very unusual.

He started shaking. Naruto was frightened, nervous, panicking, unsure and distraught all at the same time. He was searching for a face, a color maybe. Lavender, white, indigo, however none was right there.

Hinata…

Where is she?

Ever since he had been in the hospital, it was Hinata who assisted him with his every need. Yes, she was not a medic-nin unlike Sakura, but her care felt just as effective. That was why she was the one who came into his mind when something like this was happening to him.

Why is she gone?

She was present during the procedure. How come she wasn't here?

His anxiety doubled up and he started formulating different crazy scenarios in his head that he wouldn't have pictured if he wasn't drugged.

Naruto was going heady—his hand gripped the sheets, lips quivered and tears started falling. The blonde looked around like he was searching for something. He looked like a child lost in translation and Sakura saw that look in most of her patients and good grief she just knew what to do.

"H-Hey Naruto! Hinata will be back don't worry," talking him down like he was a young boy throwing a fit. It was always like this and some were even worse.

'A-Are you sure?" He began to calm down, but he was not convinced enough, "If you are, where did she go? She said she'll be right here. Where is Hinata?! What did you do to her dattebayo?"

Kiba, although knowing that what was happening was just temporary, couldn't help but feel sorry about his friend, "Hey Naruto!"

The blonde then turned his towards the brunette's direction, but his attention went to focus on Akamaru, who was yawning.

''Hinata just went to buy you something to eat."

Naruto's groggy mind could only make up three things:

Akamaru, Eat, Hinata.

With that, the most outrageous formed in his head, "No!" He exclaimed with dread and everybody wondered what ran into his head.

Hinata, together with a freshly-cooked ramen from the blonde shinobi's favorite shop, made her way back to the hospital.

He must be hungry now.

But certain noises got her worrying. They were from Naruto-kun!

Without spilling the take-out, she hurriedly approached the room.

"Oh, Hinata!" The blonde shouted with a big relief washing over his face.

"Naruto-kun, what happened?"

The dark-haired girl placed the ramen on a table and quickly positioned herself on her special part at the edge of his bed. Naruto was sitting upright with concerned features. He gripped on her shoulder with his only hand and frantically said, "Are you okay? Are you fine –ttebayo?"

Hinata tilted her head slightly sideward as she wondered why he would be thinking such things, "N-Naruto-kun. I'm all right."

The blonde then turned to hug her—her face was squished on his chest. She could smell him, he was of alcohol, topical medicine, hospital and his personal scent which caused warmth to churn Hinata's stomach causing her to blush furiously.

We're close. So close. This is just too much.

Her hands clasped his shirt for leverage as he mumbled words of relief. The shy girl couldn't just take it. She could feel his strong arm around her and her cheeks felt the sturdiness of his chest. Oh kami! She was quaking.

There were days and nights when she would imagine this happening. But reality might just be too much, really.

"Hinata, I really thought that something happened to you!"

She distanced a little bit from him and met his gaze. Their other friends, except Sasuke and Sai, saw the redness of her entire face and prayed that she wouldn't faint.

"W-why is that Naruto-kun?"

Akamaru, eat, Hinata.

"Well, I think I saw you got eaten by a giant puppy dattebayo!"

"A giant puppy?" She murmured as Kiba pointed his thumb at Naruto and commented, "That must be him."

The blue-eyed boy then looked at the brunette and aggressively rebutted, "There's no way I would eat Hinata –ttebayo!" Naruto being Naruto cluelessly clarified his statement with frantic fidgeting, "W-well it's not that Hinata would taste bad. I-I really think she'd be really sweet and-"

Hinata covered her now tomato-red face, Kiba knowingly smirked, Sakura gaped, Ino sported a grin, Tsunade, who just entered the room was too interested to interrupt and Sai had something to say, "Well, that's the only thing you can do since you're practically dickless."

"That's not true! You're just saying that because yours can't function well, unlike mine -ttebayo!"

How Naruto could tell his can function well? No one seemed to know.

"Right, Hinata?" He asked and then grabbed the kunoichi's shoulder leading her to face him, "You know it, right, Hinata?"

"…"

"You must know how well this gaki functions, Hinata?" Tsunade teased, because she couldn't really help it. She's so sure that her drunken self would have remarked even better.

The poor Hyuuga girl froze. She knew what they were talking about and this caused her to form several scenarios in her head.

It would be a cold, dark, winter night. The sheets would wrap around her together with his fluttering kisses. Then he would hover her and her heart would beat ten thousand miles away from her chest. She would turn red from head to toe and faint.

"Hinata!" The hazy blonde screamed in pure worry as the girl fled into unconsciousness.

Here we go again. The others thought, while Sai got that look that said he found a very good source material.

The moon lit the night sky dimly. The month was only about to end and it felt like winter was really dawning near. The dobe was fast asleep, but with occasional struggles as the teme preferred to closely guard his friend in case something terrible happens in his sleep.

This day was not really a remarkable day for Sasuke. Naruto acted so annoyingly due to his medications and the raven-haired was sort of sure he could progress a lot faster with his healing. However, he also knew the dobe's yearning to be taken care of. He was smart enough to guess it was a mind-over matter thing for the blonde. He's consciously bored, but subconsciously enjoying the care he's been receiving.

His pondering was interrupted when he heard the familiar footsteps of their nightly visitor. He still didn't know why she often visited late at night. This time, he recognized that she just woke up from the unconsciousness she suffered a while ago.

He closed his eyes as the girl sat on her usual spot and watched the blonde sleep. Sasuke didn't really know how many minutes he had dozed-off, but somehow the existence of another person caused him to fall asleep.

It was like a usual mission. He felt like he's the one who should watch, but having a substitute made him fall prey to slumber's call until a certain voice jolted him,

"Wait! Stop, no. Please, no!" He shot his eyes open and watched the dark-haired kunoichi do her usual magic.

She would just place her gentle hands on his and he would calm down, "It's okay. Everything is fine now." Her windy whisper would form a soft smile on his face and peace would soon surface his features.

The teme took notice of the time and realized that tonight was later than the other nights, "What are you still doing here this late at night?"

Both are very quiet individuals, very observant and intuitive. So to say that she's here just because she wanted to comfort the blonde, wasn't the entire truth and she also knew this.

"W-Well, it's just that I couldn't really sleep at night."

He knew what she meant.

"I-It's just that…being with people who can't as well somehow brings me peace. It was like I'm not alone."

Though her voice sounded frail and weak, it must not be mistaken by how her words were carefully chosen. Sasuke took note of this familiarity as being previously part of a knitted clan as well and the fact that she was right.

Based on what he knew of, Naruto shared the death of Hyuuga Neji with the girl. Stories flew on how kind and protective the young man was towards his cousin. 'He was a like brother to her.' People would say.

And Sasuke lost his brother. He knew how much it hurts.

The three of them were probably being visited by the memories of how the people they cared about died.

"You should go home. That dobe wouldn't find the idea that you're staying up late and exhausting yourself all too pleasing."

Hinata stood up and said, "Oh, yeah, this might be too selfish of me. Naruto-kun is really concerned about his friends. That's how he really is, I should've known."

The raven-haired fell silent for a moment. He didn't really know what to say. He was not in any position to give his unconfirmed observations.

"Sasuke-kun," the Hyuuga curtly nodded and he returned the gesture.

It was a usual morning for the two boys. But the news that Sasuke was ready to be released from the hospital, got Naruto silent.

It would be boring.

He would be alone and would have no one to talk to. His friends were on missions including Hinata, who was kind enough to assist him with his breakfast before she left. He didn't really get to enjoy the moment though, as Shino came to pick her up too soon.

"Well, I think I must take the time alone practicing how to save your sorry ass from the council, huh, teme?"

"Hn,"

Pfft. Really? This was all he was going to get from him?

Naruto tried his best to use chopsticks with his left hand. It was okay, but he couldn't really savor his food because of it. And damn! The food.

Ugh! Vegetables.

"Why can't the hospital serve food as delicious as Hinata's cooking dattebayo?" He whined as he surrendered by putting his chopsticks down.

Sasuke, then, looked quite hesitant for a bit. He was trying to tell this to him, but he wasn't sure of he should know.

"So the Hyuuga, huh?"

"It's Hinata. That's her name, Hinata."

"Hn,"

The teme was struggling. He wasn't fond of opening up and he wasn't really fond of bringing up the past. Why must he know anyway?

Being a part of a strongly knitted-clan that both bear a very special trait, it was not an uncommon event for them to somehow get along with each other. The girl, although timid in nature, was easy to get along with. Their compounds were pretty much close to each other and the chance of them being acquainted by their families was usual.

Those days were bright as far as the raven-haired could remember.

Not until her mother passed.

"Hey teme, what's that spacing out for?"

Honestly, this wouldn't end if he would refute him. Maybe that was what…

"Hn,"

…was for.

The night fell again and Naruto knew that closing his eyes was sometimes worse than the battlefield, for when he closed them and he started falling asleep…

Blood, it smelled of blood. Dark smoke hovered his sight as thundering noises and voices surrounded his hearing. The people…

Some were fighting.

Some were injured.

Some were dead.

He swore he tried his best. But deep inside, somehow, he knew he wasn't strong enough.

They were his comrades. How could he let them die?

Some were unfamiliar, some were those he could only recall by face and someone was too familiar.

Neji…

Overlapping images of how he outright died in his stead played on his head together with the image of how he drew his one last breath.

"Wait! Stop, no. Please, no!" That was the only thing his strength could muster.

Suddenly, warm hands wrapped his. Her eyes, too loving to neglect and her long hair, too striking to disregard.

The sight of her made all the darkness and suffering around him disappear. Her caring voice was melodious enough to cast away his fears.

"It's okay. Everything is fine now."

He smiled with her words and tears of joy, brought by her comfort, pooled his eyes. His arms wrapped around her and he held her like it was always the last time.

"Kaachan…"

Disclaimer: Characters and several scenarios in this work belong to Masashi Kishimoto et al.