Numb

I apologize for the agonizingly long wait! I have been super busy with school and work...I also got MARRIED :) So yea...I haven't had any time to edit this story. But buckle up, this is gonna be an intense one! :D

Three weeks.

21 days.

Yes, she was counting down. From the way things were going, Hinata was confident that Naruto would let her stay. Her heart fluttered everytime she thought about how he smiled and thanked her...she never imagined that she would ever see him smile like that again. Especially when that smile was meant only for her.

The way he looked at her now was different, too...his cold demeanor seemed like it was being chipped away, day by day. It was almost as if she was seeing him - dare she say it - fall in love with her.

Naruto Uzumaki...falling in love with Hinata Hyuuga.

It was a statement that made her heart jump in joy, and yet, it was also a statement that was so foreign and strange to her. For the past 10 years, she's only ever seen Naruto love someone else...and now that he was slowly seeing her as someone precious to him, it felt like a dream.

Clearing her thoughts, Hinata let out a small yawn and sat up on the couch. She and Naruto were watching a movie yesterday and she knocked out before the movie was even halfway done. Her eyes glanced around and saw Naruto gazing at her from the kitchen.

Hinata's stomach fluttered when he gave her a faint, loving smile. She noticed that he had already cooked breakfast and it was set nicely on the table. "...just in time. Let's eat, and then see if the others are free today. It'd be nice to hangout for a bit."

Wow, that was the first time he ever insisted on going out with their friends. Hinata was glad that he was beginning to open up to them...it probably was hard for him to convince himself to trust anyone again. She nodded and got up to join him for breakfast.

As they sat down to eat, Hinata wondered if she should just move in to live with him. She was practically there almost every other day...but then again, she needed to establish if they were even an official couple yet. They sure acted like it...they just never talked about it, ever since visiting the grave site.

Naruto couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking about...lately, she's been having that same expression. It seemed like she was in her own little world. He knew that it was probably partly his fault. He hasn't given her a direct answer yet, despite the obvious fact that after the month is over, he'll want her to stay.

Being with Hinata felt different than being with Sakura. Though he was sure that he loved Sakura with all his being, what he felt towards Hinata was just so much more real and raw. He felt like he could tell her anything, fully open his heart to her and tell her all his secrets, sorrows, and happiness...and even after knowing all the good and ugly in him, she would still accept him. She was literally the only person who stood beside him in the most darkest period of his life.

And that's the downside of it...some people, even their friends, might think that he's opening up to her now because he was obligated to. Because now that Sakura was dead, and only Hinata has been there for him, he might just feel obligated to stay with her.

That was bullshit. Hinata was not a rebound. Though he closed himself off, he wasn't that shallow of a person.

He did not feel obligated; he was with her now, because he truly and genuinely believed that he could start over with her. What he felt towards her now, it was not pity or guilt. Though sadly, he couldn't say it was love either...he was still scared to use that word.

At this point, the only thing Naruto was confident about, was that he wanted her beside him. And from now on, he had to try his best to break down his walls and the ice around his heart, because undeniably...she was worth it.

The only person available to hangout with, was Kiba. And of course, Akamaru.

They ended up carpooling together to the river since Kiba wanted to go swimming. As soon as Akamaru saw the water, he jumped right in, splashing everyone wet before they even got to set their things down.

"Akamaru!" Kiba scolded and rolled his eyes when Akamaru just barked and wagged his tail happily.

"Wow...seems like you haven't taken him out much recently." Hinata giggled as she and Naruto set down their bags and towels by the rocks.

Kiba shrugged. "Haven't had the time...been working my butt off to pay some bills. Speaking of 'taking out' people, you haven't hung out with us for a good while now since...you know..." He made a slight glance at Naruto.

Hinata kind of tensed up and before she could think of something to say to lighten up the mood, Naruto surprisingly answered instead.

"Yea, my fault. Sorry I stole her away from you guys for almost a whole year...but then again, I'm not sorry either because I'm glad she stayed by my side through what Sasuke and Sakura did to me. If she didn't, I'd probably stay as an emotionless jackass for the rest of my life." Naruto flashed a faint smile.

Both Kiba and Hinata just stood frozen and blinked blankly at him. It's been so long since they've heard him talk like that and Hinata was shocked that he even talked about Sasuke and Sakura with absolutely no hesitation. Was she dreaming? It sure felt like it.

"..ah, yea. To be real, looking at you right now, I'm glad she did too." Kiba grinned back and looked at Hinata proudly. Honestly, he (and literally everyone else) thought that Naruto was a lost cause. What Sasuke and Sakura did to him was despicable. He understood why Naruto would shut himself up like that. But it was getting to a point where they all lost hope that Naruto would ever move on. They even scolded Hinata at one point to just give up because there was no saving Naruto from his own depression anymore.

Thinking about it now, Kiba realized what horrible friends they were. Naruto was the life of the party for them...and he was the glue that stuck them together. He was always obnoxious and hilarious and even slightly annoying. In a good way. As soon as he closed himself off, everyone else drifted apart, too. They should have stuck by him...if it was anyone else, Naruto would have done everything he could to cheer and comfort that person. Naruto wouldn't haven given up. Kiba suddenly felt a pit of guilt deep down in his stomach...Naruto wouldn't haven given up on them...and yet, they just dropped him like he wasn't even worth anything. Even if Naruto had trust issues and pushed them away, they should have persevered to stay by his side.

And maybe that's why Hinata was the only one who endured it. He knew she had feelings for Naruto since forever...and he knew that Naruto has always been an inspiration for her. She was probably the only one who really thought about it. She knew that if the same tragedy happened to anyone else, Naruto would be persistent as hell to bring that person back from their downfall.

As Kiba watched as Hinata and Naruto stood by each other, something clicked. The way Naruto was looking at Hinata...was almost the same way that he used to look at Sakura.

Kiba raised an eyebrow and smirked. 'Oh. I see.'

"I'm gonna go first, guys." Hinata replied as she quickly spread some sunblock on herself before running over to Akamaru. Naruto and Kiba watched in awe as she jumped into the river and splashed some water at Akamaru.

"She's cute, huh?" Kiba suddenly commented.

Naruto was a bit taken back by that. "...you think...she's cute?"

"Why would I say she's cute if I don't think she is? Isn't she?" Kiba taunted. He just wanted to see how Naruto would react.

Naruto didn't quite understand what he was feeling right now. It was a familiar feeling...was he jealous right now? The fact that another man called Hinata cute, was irritating as hell. His jaw clenched and his eyes averted back to Hinata, who was still playing with Akamaru.

As he watched her laughing and saw her joyful expression, he slowly calmed down. He almost scoffed. No, she was way more than just "cute." How dare Kiba call her something so mediocre?

Kiba was surprised at Naruto's answer. "I don't think she's cute...she's more than that, Kiba. She's beautiful...and even beautiful doesn't do her justice. "

Kiba stood speechless...my goodness, whatever the hell Hinata did to make Naruto better, she did a one hell of a good job. When Naruto was with Sakura, he didn't even talk about her like that.

Well, it was a good thing. To be honest, he never thought Naruto and Sakura were a good match. Though everyone said they were "perfect," he always thought there was something off about their relationship. Naruto was so in love with Sakura...it was almost like an obsession. And it just didn't seem like Sakura returned the feelings as intensely.

Naruto always looked at Sakura with those adoring, puppy love-struck eyes. But with Hinata...it was different. Kiba couldn't quite pinpoint it.

"...you gonna swim? I think I'm gonna head back to the store really quick to get some snacks. Hinata's been mentioning that she's craving mochi lately." Naruto replied as he took out the keys from Hinata's bag.

"Oh, ok. I'll keep Hinata company, then."

Hinata saw Kiba approaching and looked behind him to see that Naruto was gone.

"Where'd he go?"

"He said he's gonna go get you some mochi." Kiba shrugged.

"O...oh." Hinata blinked. She has been craving it...and she's been mentioning it alot to Naruto. She didn't think that he would actually go out of his way to buy it for her, though.

Kiba raised an eyebrow when he saw a faint smile appear on her lips.

"Soooo...are you two, like...official, now?"

Hinata blushed at his comment and immediately shook her head. "What? Why would you say that?"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "I've known you forever, Hinata. And I've also been friends with Naruto for a long time. I see the way you guys look at each other. I know you've liked him since you met him and now, it seems like he's returning those feelings. The way he looks at you, no offense...is similar to the way he looked at Sakura."

"...I know. I've noticed it, too." Hinata muttered quietly and looked down at her feet in the water. "...but, he hasn't said anything to confirm it. He knows how I feel about him. I just haven't gotten an answer from him."

"Well, that's bullshit. He should man up and tell you how he feels."

"Kiba, you have to remember that he's just beginning to move on. I don't want to force anything. Whatever he feels for me, I want it to be genuine. If I ask him or try to be nosy, I feel like I'm just gonna get an answer that's gonna hurt or disappoint me. I want him to heal...and if it means that he'll never tell me how he feels, or if he ends up not wanting to be with me in the end, I just have to accept it."

"...well, that's bullshit." Kiba repeated again. "Naruto didn't deserve what happened to him. I understand it hurt him beyond anything I can even imagine. But you deserve to be happy, too, Hinata. Only stay with him if you are confident he will love you back...if not, you need to make a decision for your benefit, too. You can't always be sacrificing for others."

"I know...I just want to endure it for a little bit longer. I want to hope just a little longer."

Kiba let out a small sigh and stepped into the water with her. "I really hope this is worth all that you've done for him, Hinata. It'd be nice if we can be together again...all of us. With no tension or heartaches."

"I really hope so, too, Kiba..." Hinata nodded as she went deeper into the river.

Kiba looked behind her and noticed the water current was moving a bit fast. "Hinata...you might want to be careful."

Hinata glanced behind her and simply smiled at him, reassuringly. "It's fine. I can swim."

Kiba trusted her and shrugged, turning to play with Akamaru. Hinata couldn't help but feel warmth in her chest as she watched them splash water at each other. How she wished it would be like the old times...all their other friends would be here, too. She missed having everyone together. They were like a big family...they all grew up around each other, went to the same schools, and they stood up for each other.

If only Sakura and Sasuke were still alive...if only they didn't do what they did to Naruto...everything would still be perfect. She would have been fine watching from the sidelines, as she always did.

Lost in her thoughts, she kept walking deeper into the middle of the river, not realizing how rapid the current was flowing. She felt a big rock bump the side of her leg and she attempted to tiptoe on top of it.

Her eyes narrowed when she realized the rock was covered in slippery moss and as soon as she stepped on top of it, her foot slid and she fell right into the current.

"Hinata!"

Kiba's voice faded as water gushed over her head and her petite body was swept under the current. Fear rippled through her as she struggled to get a gasp above water, reaching and kicking to try to grasp anything she could get a hold of. She couldn't even see anything, nor could she open her eyes to take a good look at her surroundings. She couldn't feel anything around her to grab onto and she let out a small yelp when her foot scraped across some sharp rocks. Her lungs felt like it was suffocating and she knew she was going to black out soon if she couldn't get any air.

'Help me...someone help me!' Her mind screamed. When her head finally came up above the water, she attempted to get a full breath of air, only to be engulfed again in the river current. Hinata ended up inhaling a mouthful of water instead, coughing and gasping violently underwater.

The strength in her legs were weakening and she desperately reached her arms up to the surface, hoping that Kiba or Akamaru would see her and grab her in time before she...drowned.

'I don't want to die...I don't want to die...not yet!'

She let out a hopeless sob and winced when her body was flipped and thrusted sideways over and over again with the current. It hurt. Her body was hurting, her mind was screaming, and her heart felt like it was broken in a million pieces.

Her consciousness was going in and out and before she completely blacked out, the last thing she could think of, was Naruto's smiling face.

When Akamaru immediately stopped playing and barked nonstop, Kiba stopped in his tracks and turned to see Hinata being pulled underwater.

"Hinata!"

Shit, shit, shit!

Kiba dashed over and jumped into the fast-flowing current without a second thought. He didn't want to lose another friend. Sasuke and Sakura were gone already...if something happened to Hinata, he didn't know how they would all cope anymore.

Especially Naruto.

Akamaru ran along the shore, keeping up with Kiba. "Akamaru! Find something for me to hold onto!"

Kiba kept his eyes on Hinata the whole time, trying to reach her before it was too late.

"Shit! Hinata, hold on!"

He tried his hardest to keep his head over the water, and he knew that if it was hard for him to even do it, he was sure Hinata could barely come up to get a gasp of air. He frantically glanced back at the shore and groaned in relief when he saw Akamaru with a large log in his mouth. Akamaru ran closer to the water and threw the log towards Kiba.

"Yes! Good boy!" Kiba grasped on tightly to the log and pulled himself up. He kicked vigorously, trying to get to Hinata faster. He could see her hands reaching up above the water, and he stretched towards her, trying to grab her. "Hinata!"

He still wasn't close enough. He let out a panicked cry when he saw her head come up for a split second before she was engulfed in the river again. He knew she barely had time to get any air...and if she couldn't soon or if he didn't reach her in time, it might be too late.

'Not gonna happen...I will not let that happen!' Kiba glared determinedly ahead and despite his legs aching from the constant kicking, he went even faster.

Just as Hinata's arms were going to disappear underwater, he reach towards her and tightly grasped her left hand, harshly pulling her to him. He pulled her small body up onto the log with him and a pit of fear hit his stomach when he realized she was already unconscious.

"Akamaru! Help!"

Akamaru barked and hurriedly jumped into the river, taking hold of one side of the log with his mouth, and pulling them to safety.

Kiba crawled onto the sand, making sure Hinata was right with him. He laid her body down flat on the ground and began pushing down on her chest.

"Damn it, Hinata...come on..." His eyes peered down to her lips. Almost hesitating, he bent down, placed his mouth over hers, and blew. One, two, three breaths, then he pushed on her chest again.

Her eyes were not opening. She was not coughing up any water. He was beginning to panic.

He tapped the side of her face multiple times and shook her shoulders. He pushed against her chest harder this time and kept performing CPR. 'Shit, please...please, Hinata, do not leave us!' Taking a few more deep breaths and giving one final push on her chest, water spilled out of her mouth and she started coughing.

He let out a sigh of relief and sat her up, patting her back. "Hinata, you ok?! This is why I told you to be careful! " He shook his head at her. "That was too damn close, Hinata!"

Hinata panted heavily and she looked at him with eyes full of gratitude. Kiba was taken by surprise when she suddenly pulled him down and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Kiba...thank you so much." She closed her eyes and squeezed him even tighter. God, she owed him her life. She was literally seconds away from death if he didn't save her in time.

Kiba shook his head again and just hugged her back. "Stupid, don't be so clumsy next time."

Naruto smiled down at the strawberry and green tea mochi ice-cream he had in his hands. He bought 2 packages so it would be enough for them to eat seconds. He could already imagine Hinata's expression when she sees the mochi.

He didn't know why, but he loved seeing her happy. And it was funny, too, because it was so easy to please her. He could literally just sit next to her and she would already be smiling like crazy. He almost laughed at that thought.

When he got closer to their site, he noticed all their belongings were still there on the shore, but Kiba, Akamaru, and Hinata were no where to be found. He narrowed his eyes and walked closer to the river, looking both ways to see if they were swimming somewhere close by.

"...where did they go...?"

He glanced back and saw that Hinata's purse and Kiba's wallet was still there, too. They wouldn't leave without their important personal items, so they shouldn't be too far from here. He walked alongside the shore, his eyes keeping a keen watch on where they might be.

It was weird. It was like they were gone without a trace. Naruto hoped it wasn't something serious. He was beginning to worry when he noticed he had walked quite far away from their area. He glanced back and could barely see their belongings. The mochi ice-cream was also melting by now...it wouldn't be good to give it to Hinata anymore if he kept walking like this under the sun for the next 5 minutes.

Just as he thought that, something white caught the side of his eyes. He realized it was Akamaru, wagging his tail a bit further down the river. Naruto was relieved that he found them, but as he walked closer, he almost stopped in his tracks at what he saw next.

His hands trembled and he immediately dropped the mochi icecream.

All those fears of being betrayed and lied to, came flooding back in an instant. All the hatred and bitterness that he managed to suppress consumed him yet again. Then...he felt himself go completely numb.

He didn't know why and how this could happen to him twice.

He stepped away from the scene and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

Did they purposely come this far away from their swimming area just so they could embrace each other like that without him seeing? They tried to hide themselves. What other possible reason was there that they would come this far and be hugging so intimately like that?

Did Hinata pretend to be in love with him because he was vulnerable and weak?

Did she want money, too? Was she going to wait until he gave her access to his bank, and then she'll cash out everything like Sakura did?

What the hell did everyone see him as?

He was lied to, again. He was betrayed, again. They played him, again.

He was a fool...again.

It was clear to him now. The reason why Hinata stuck with him this long, why she claimed to "love" him, why she was so damn persistent...was because she was just waiting for the right moment to have him wrapped around her finger. And he almost fell - no, he did fall for it.

He would not let this woman go. Ever. That's what he told himself. And that was exactly what she wanted...how clever. He felt so stupid for falling right into the trap. He should have gotten rid of her when he got the chance. He shouldn't have gotten this attached to her, to the point where he even thought she was better than Sakura.

No...no, she was worse. The fact that she went out of her way to lure him out of his depression and be the one person who he could trust, and then crushing that new-found hope and liveliness in him was just...pure evil.

His jaw clenched in anger when her smiling face and kind eyes that looked at him like he was the most precious person to her flashed in his mind...he had to admit...she was a goddamn good actor.

Slowly turning his back towards them, he felt the ice around his heart harden once more. The walls that he built to protect himself from heartache and pain, he silently vowed to never break them down for anyone, ever again.

He would be alone, and die alone in this life. He didn't need friends, and he didn't need a lover.

He didn't give a shit anymore.

Please review. Any ideas for the next chapter is welcomed :)