Chapter 9

Room 808, Konoha Hospital, 187 W. 66th St.

Doubt and fear surrounded Detective Uzumaki while he made his way through the ICU Unit. Images from the crime scene haunted him day and night. The frozen, nearly defeated, look on his ex-wife's face haunted him even more.

Glancing around, he vaguely noticed the other nurses as he made his way to room 808. As he arrived, he had to step aside as a maintenance man pushed his cart out of the bathroom next door. May as well get this over with, he said to himself, attempting to will himself to open the door. Before he could muster the courage, however, the door opened for him.

"Oh hey," Neji said, walking out of the room. He glanced at his former cousin-in-law. "Are you okay, Naruto?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" Uzumaki said quickly, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm fine."

Neji smirked, shaking his head. "Hinata was right," he said. "You ARE a terrible liar!"

Uzumaki laughed lightly. "That obvious, huh?" he asked.

"That's an understatement," Neji replied. "You'll be fine. She'll be glad to see you. Besides…" He put his hand on Uzumaki's shoulder. "It's been far too long since you two talked." With that, he walked away.

Uzumaki sighed. Get it together, Naruto, he told himself. You can do this. With shaky hands, he turned the knob on Room 808.

The first thing one noticed in the room was the plethora of flowers. Orchids, roses, carnations, and various other types made the night stands look like a mini garden. Balloons encircled the lights in the room, giving it a festive feel. A mountain of cards littered the tray that one would normally use for food.

Uzumaki strolled in, sniffing the small candle that was lit. Reminds me of when…he thought to himself before being interrupted.

"Na…Naruto?" a small, weakened voice said in disbelief. "Is that really you?"

Uzumaki stiffened, realizing he'd been caught. As he strolled toward the owner of said voice, he took note of her appearance. Her once alabaster skin had turned a sickening shade of pale. Her lavender tinted eyes lost quite a bit of the sparkle they once held. Her once silky bluish-purple hair lost the shine it once had, now looking dull. Her chest, arms and legs were covered in gauze and tape. Odd to most, the bed's occupant smelled more like lavender than medicine. They must have used some of the cream she used to make on her wounds, he rationalized.

The woman in the bed studied Uzumaki as well, trying to see what had changed in the man. His once crystal blue eyes were moreso a darkened cerulean, showing off the pain and tragedy he had the pleasure of witnessing day after day. His once golden locks had faded to a small degree and were just as unruly as she remembered. His muscular form had taken on more bulk, which she couldn't help but smile about. His hands seemed more scraped and aged than they used to, making her wonder just what his life was like now. His lips, which used to stay slightly swollen when they were together, were now back to their normal thinness. She sighed, remembering the countless nights those same hands and lips made her scream countless obscenities into the night. For reasons that Hinata couldn't remember, a sharp chill ran down her spine at the thought of anything even remotely sexual. She then noticed dark circles under his eyes and cringed, almost certain that she'd caused them.

Uzumaki scratched the back of his head, somewhere between unsure of what to say and slightly uncomfortable at being studied. "It's been a long time, Hinata," he finally said.

Hinata blushed at her name crossing his lips once again. "You look good," she said, also unsure of what to say. She played with her sheets for a while, trying to decide what to say next. "How are you?"

"Good, good," Uzumaki replied, looking down and rubbing his hair. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than I was," Hinata replied.

One couldn't help but notice the tension in the room. Neither could look in the other's direction without looking away with a sigh, in Naruto's case, or, in Hinata's case, an "Eep!" or other odd sound effect. Both tried to speak, but mimicked fish rather than human beings. Both fiddled with whatever random objects they could get their hands on, unable to deal with the awkwardness of the situation.

Before anyone knew it, Uzumaki started laughing. Hinata, unable to help herself, laughed as well. "We stink at this whole talking thing," Uzumaki said with a smile.

"I guess so," Hinata replied, smiling as well. She gazed at her ex-husband, wondering if she'd want to know the answer to her question. Finally, curiosity got the better of her. "What brought you here anyway?"

Uzumaki sat on the edge of her bed. "I'm the one who's investigating your attack," he replied.

Hinata lowered her head, her long locks covering the single tear rolling down her cheek. "Oh," she replied.

Uzumaki shook his hands back and forth. "I…I wanted to see you too!" he exclaimed. Uzumaki soon realized how corny and borderline desperate he sounded. "I mean…I…I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Hinata looked up, feeling a bit happier. "You and Yamato?" she asked.

Uzumaki shook his head. "Yamato-senpai changed departments a few years ago," he told her. "I work with a guy named Sasuke now."

"Sasuke Uchiha?" she asked. "Neji's college friend?"

"Yep," Uzumaki replied. "One and the same."

Hinata tilted her head slightly to the left as in thought. "Is he still dating that one girl with the red hair and glasses?" she asked.

"Karin?" Uzumaki asked. With a nod from Hinata, he chuckled. "I don't think they ever dated. The way I heard it, they worked together on a case and she decided to keep coming around." He shook his head. "I think that's who he calls Creeperella."

Hinata giggled. "Leave it to that Uchiha," she said. Her eyes soon turned serious as another thought crossed her mind. "Are you okay?"

Uzumaki sighed. Why couldn't she leave things light and casual? he asked himself. We were doing just fine! Trying to cover his distress, he gave her a sickeningly silly grin and closed his eyes tight. "I'm doing just fine!" he replied.

Hinata groaned. "Naruto!" she said with a twinge of frustration. "Don't lie to me!"

Uzumaki chuckled softly, finally deciding to sit next to Hinata's right leg. "Can't get anything past you," he said. "Some things never change." He closed his eyes, trying to decide how to answer her question. "I…manage somehow."

Hinata lowered her head once again. "I'm sorry," she said softly, putting more weight on those two small words than they deserved.

Uzumaki leaned toward Hinata. He used his right index finger and thumb to lift Hinata's face. "We'll deal with that part later," he told her. "For now…help me do my job."

"All right," Hinata replied with a nod. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Uzumaki told her. "Start from when you left school that evening."

Hinata shuddered, feeling chills race across her back as memories of a few nights ago bubbled to the forefront of her mind. That explains the chill from before, she thought to herself. Guess I blocked it out. "We left around six thirty that night," Hinata finally began, closing her eyes. "My students fixed us bento boxes as thanks for helping plan the Winter Solstice dance. On the way home, Arashi-kun begged me to stop for something sweet. So, we stopped at Akimichi's Bakery and Deli to pick up cinnamon buns and red bean soup, his favorite."

Red bean soup? Uzumaki asked himself, scratching his head in wonder.

Hinata, meanwhile, had a single, horrifying thought. "Naruto?" she began. "How's my son?"

Uzumaki froze, inwardly panicking. How the hell am I supposed to tell her? he asked himself.

Hinata noticed Uzumaki's reaction and panicked. She grabbed Uzumaki and dragged him so that he was literally inches from her face. If it weren't for the fear racing through her mind, she may have blushed. Back when they were children, she may have fainted from their close proximity. "Where's my son?" she asked once again, fear cutting into her voice. "What happened to him?"

Uzumaki sighed, knowing he had to break the news to her. "He's dead," he replied with a sigh. "He died in that alley."

"NO!" Hinata screamed, tears soaring down her face. "ARASHI-KUN!" She began shaking as her sobs drowned out the monitors in the room.

Uzumaki hugged Hinata, caressing her back. He whispered words of comfort until she calmed down. "You have my word," he began, "I'll catch the son of a bitch who did this to you guys. I promise."

Hinata looked Uzumaki in the eyes. "I know," she replied. "I believe in you."

Uzumaki smiled softly. "Thanks, Hinata," he said.

Hinata straightened up again. "I know you weren't finished asking me questions," she said. "What else do you want to know?"

Uzumaki sat up as well, returning to a state of mind that he affectionately calls detective mode. "What can you tell me about your attacker?" he asked

Hinata tilted her head once again, thinking. "Not much," she replied. "Up until that night, I'd never seen him before." She smirked. "But I do remember what you taught me to notice about others in a crime. Let's see…he was about six feet tall, medium build, brown hair and brown eyes." She closed her eyes, trying to remember another important detail. "He did mention something strange in the middle of the attack, though."

"What's that?" Uzumaki asked.

"He mentioned something about fulfilling a contract," Hinata replied. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Uzumaki giving her a strange look. Before she could comment, she yawned. "Sorry, but can you come back another time? I'm getting sleepy again."

Uzumaki smiled. "Of course," he said, standing to leave. He gazed at the woman he once called his and, hesitating for what seems like hours, kissed her on the cheek.