Chapter 12

Room 808, Konoha Hospital

187 W. 66th St.


On the ride to the fifth floor, Uzumaki leaned against the back wall of the elevator. I can't take this anymore! he said to himself. I know I told her we'd wait until later to talk, but I've gotta know what's going on. How else can I help her?

The walk to Hinata's room felt like the equivalent of the final walk to the electric chair. Uzumaki's feet felt heavy, as if his body wanted him to turn back. Despite Hatake's previous best efforts to tell him to let the past stay in the past, Uzumaki simply couldn't. His concerns, frustrations, fears and suspicions all battled for supremacy in his mind. Those same emotions finally led him to leave the squad room immediately after his conversaion with Kurenai.

Upon walking into the room, Uzumaki smiled at seeing Hinata tending to her flowers. Nice to see she's feeling a little better, he thought to himself.

Hinata looked up, hearing that she had company. She was used to doctors and nurses coming in and leaving from her room at all hours of the day. Despite bouts of exhaustion, Hinata tried to carry casual conversations with each of them. When she saw Uzumaki, however, she grinned from ear to ear. "Hi," she said, patting the seat next to her. "Nice to see you again."

Uzumaki nodded in return, closing the door behind him. Hinata looked at him curiously, but said nothing. As he walked closer, it was obvious that Uzumaki had an awful lot on his mind. Hinata couldn't help but feel nervous with each step he took. Once he finally reached the bed, Uzumaki gazed into Hinata's eyes. An untold amount of emotions lay within the darkened cerulean orbs. "We need to talk," he finally said.

Hinata sighed, caressing her temples. "I knew this day would finally come," she said in turn. "I've been somewhere between dreading and wanting to say the same thing for the past eight years."

Uzumaki finally sat down, turning to face her. As he did so, a look that was somewhere between worry and fear crossed his face. Uzumaki tried to hide the emotions, but failed. He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling as if his throat was closing up. I finally have the chance to find out what happened to us and here I am acting like a dork! Uzumaki thought, chastising himself. "What happened?" he finally asked, knowing the words carried a hell of a lot of weight.

Hinata closed her eyes and sighed. "I hope you have more than a couple minutes," she said.

Uzumaki grabbed her hands. "I'm here for answers," he told Hinata. "I have all the time in the world."

Hinata nodded, unsure where to begin. She lowered her head, recalling that fateful April day. "I'm sorry," she said. "As much as I'd love to say I left for something as simple as a fight or something one of us did, I can't. I had to."

Uzumaki looked at her, stunned. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"It all started a few days after you passed the detective exam," Hinata began. "I was headed to an interview with an elementary school when my father and his bodyguards showed up at our door. I invited him in, wondering why he'd picked that day to stop by."

Uzumaki snorted. "I didn't even know he knew how to find our place," he said. "I always thought he'd be too good to travel anywhere but the business district and anywhere that high society lived."

Hinata glared at Uzumaki. "Be nice!" she said, chastising Uzumaki. "No matter how much I hate him right now, he's still my father. That day, though…that day, he may as well have been the grim reaper." Uzumaki looked at her, confused. "Father stopped by with what became his guaranteed plan to break us up. Somehow, he'd found out about a few of the stupid things you'd done as a kid but were never caught for. So, he gave me two options: leave and divorce you, or give him the opportunity to take the information to the police commissioner and get you both fired and deported for what you'd done."

Uzumaki looked at Hinata, stunned. "I was thirteen!" he exclaimed. "Besides, how did he find out about something that was wiped from my record?"

"He called in a favor from a friend on the Suna council," she replied.

Uzumaki groaned. "You've gotta be kidding me!" he said. "THAT'S what he wants to use against me?"

"May I suggest getting to know people before nearly beating the now general of the Kaze army to death?" she offered.

"Not if they threaten to kill you," Uzumaki retorted. He soon realized how possessive he sounded. "I…I mean…" He turned beet red. "Shit!" Uzumaki scratched the back of his head and smirked. "Guess I'm still overprotective of you."

Hinata blushed a deep crimson. "I…I s…see," she said, unsure what to make of the situation. She finally resolved to shove the feeling aside and continue her story. "I was scared for you. I couldn't let him do that to you, not when you'd finally gotten where you wanted to be in your career. I refused to be the obstacle holding you back from success. So, to appease Father, I left." She gazed deeply into Uzumaki's eyes. "Can you forgive me?"

Uzumaki smiled warmly. "Of course," he told her. "I just wish you'd told me sooner. I would've given anything to keep you. You know that!"

Hinata closed her eyes. "That's exactly why I didn't tell you," she said. "I refused to be the reason you had regrets." Hinata snorted, then giggled. If Father were here, he'd chastise me for acting so un-ladylike, she thought to herself. "So much for that. But I felt like I was in a no-win situation. I was being watched to guarantee that I went through with it and didn't give you any sort of heads up." Uzumaki growled.

"Then a few months passed," she continued. "I'd moved back to the estate and was forced onto countless dates with nobles and other influential men from countries around the world. Finally, one of the men courting me forced Father's hand. He told Father that he refused to court a woman who was clearly already soiled. When he asked what the man referred to, he told him that I was pregnant. Father became furious, demanding to know who impregnated me. I refused to tell him. He eventually calmed, believing he could somehow force one of the men I dated to claim responsibility for the child and marry me."

Hinata reached for a cup of water. Taking a sip, she faintly patted her stomach. "The day Arashi-kun was born was both the happiest and saddest day of my life," she said. "On the one hand, Arashi-kun was a beautiful and healthy little boy. On the other…" she looked at Uzumaki sadly. "…his father had no idea that Arashi-kun existed. Over the course of several months, Father had every man that courted me tested to see if any of them were Arashi-kun's father. As the process continued, he became more furious. He'd already disowned Arashi-kun from birth, since he was a stain on the Hyuuga legacy. I guess he also had a preference for who the father could be, since some of the men were richer and more influential than others. He finally got down the last three when Arashi-kun was about six months old. Neither of the men left were whom Father wanted as his son-in-law, I guess."

"One night, also in April, I overheard Father talking to his bodyguards," she continued. "Apparently, he'd bribed a blue-eyed noble who was second in line for the crown in Kiri to marry me. When asked about Arashi-kun, he simply called him a stain almost as big as the blond idiot I finally left." Uzumaki snorted. "He told them that Arashi-kun had to disappear when he turned six months old. He didn't care whether Arashi-kun was given up for adoption or chopped into tiny pieces and left to rot in a bird's nest overlooking Konoha. He simply wasn't allowed to be found by me. I, meanwhile, was to be shipped away as soon as Arashi-kun disappeared to marry this strange man that I'd never met. I think Father told him I was an athletic virgin, so obviously me showing up with Arashi-kun would've destroyed the deal and Father's reputation."

Hinata huffed. "I couldn't let that happen!" she exclaimed. "I refused to let anyone hurt my baby. So, I packed our things and we ran. I went to stay at a friend's place near the Kaze border for a few months."

"Don't tell me," Uzumaki began with a groan. "That damn Kiba, right?"

Hinata giggled. "I never understood what you had against him," she said with a smile. "But yeah, his place. Kiba helped me find a school to teach in that Father wouldn't dare come near and a nearby apartment. We settled in and were pretty happy. Arashi-kun became a sweet boy. I couldn't have asked for a better child. Neji-niisan even stopped by from time to time and played with him. I had a great life."

"A few months ago, though, I received a letter from Father," she said, erasing the smile from her face. "Apparently, he sent a couple of his bodyguards to follow Neji-niisan. Father suspected that he knew where to find me. Why he needed to know, I wish I understood. I already knew that he passed my rights to Hanabi. I still don't know why I had to be found. Anyway, he wrote about how disappointed he was in me. I'd passed on being the wife of a man who is now next in line for Kiri's throne. I passed on teaching at what he called a world-class university. And, most important to him, I passed on a fresh start. He was furious that I passed all that up for dealing with the riff raff of society. He said that I was raised to want more than to marry, give birth to and raise scum."

Uzumaki growled. "That son of a bitch had no right…" he exclaimed, his knuckles having turned white at this point.

"Naruto!" Hinata said, chastising him. "That's still my father and is…" A single tear rolled down her cheek. "…was Arashi-kun's grandfather."

Uzumaki wanted to say more or even to argue with Hinata, but bit his tongue. Rather, he began to ask the last question he still had on his mind. "Does Arashi's father know he's dead?" he asked Hinata. She stiffened and looked at him, hurt. He studied Hinata's face for a moment. "Arashi's my son…isn't he?"

Hinata looked him in the eyes, then nodded. "Yes," she said softly.

Uzumaki stared at her, stunned. He didn't know which emotion hit harder: the fact that he had a son out there or the fact that he just realized he is investigating his son's murder. Countless emotions ran across his face. The two that seemed to remain, however, were heartbreak and pure, unadulterated, rage.

Hinata studied Uzumaki. Why is he acting so strangely? she asked herself.

She soon received her answer. "I don't get it," Uzumaki finally said. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've done anything for you and Arashi."

Hinata looked at him, confused. "But I did tell you," she said. "I tried calling you, but some woman answered and said that I had the wrong number. So, I mailed you a letter. Didn't you get it?"