AN: Hey guys! Another chapter :D & since I'm not expecting the next chapter to be very long, I'm hoping to get it posted today too. Two chapters in one day :D Fingers crossed! Though, I do want to note (just in case I forget later) that there won't be a chapter on Friday July 3rd. It's my dad's birthday & I have to travel kind of far, so I won't really be home to write a chapter for Friday.

I hope you all enjoy :]

DFTBA

CwS

Chapter Twelve:

13 October: Blood Stained Lips

Naruto looked at Hinata as she sat on the counter in the girls' restroom and searched through her medical kit for some sanitary swabs. Her lips were stained dark red with his blood, and her shirt was pretty much ruined. He looked down at the washrag in his hand that would soon be tainted with his blood too. He sighed and wetted the rag in the warm water before gently washing the blood off of his face.

"It's a good thing the dorm is practically empty," Hinata said.

"Yeah, there's a football game tonight." Naruto rinsed out the washrag.

"How come you didn't go?"

He shrugged and then winced at the pain in his neck and shoulders. "Didn't feel like it."

"C'mere."

Naruto shut the water off and walked over to her. Gently, Hinata took his hand and pulled him to her.

"Can I ask where you were? You looked really tired and torn earlier."

When he didn't reply right away she gave his hand a comforting squeeze. He looked down at their hands. Had Hinata always been this affectionate with him? Probably, he just hadn't noticed. Girls had always been all over him at parties, he had learned to just ignore them, but Hinata's touch was different. She didn't touch him because she wanted something from him. She didn't want to use him. She held his hand because that was what he needed—he needed the warmth of genuine human affection. He squeezed Hinata's hand.

"I snuck into the dance studio," Naruto said quietly.

Hinata smiled. "You started dancing again?"

"I needed to get some things off my chest and I didn't know what else to do."

"I'm glad."

Hinata grabbed her supplies and started properly cleaning the cuts on Naruto's lip and eyebrow. She really was happy he had started dancing. After thoroughly beating her in Just Dance last year, he had bashfully admitted that he used to dance when he was little. The way he talked about dancing made him light up in a way that she had never seen before. She knew then that that was his true passion, but when she had asked him why he still wasn't dancing he wouldn't answer. She had a hunch that it had something to do with his family; he was always tightlipped concerning them.

"I got caught, though, by the professor."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Oh dear."

"She wants me to come to the studio tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"She thinks I should be part of the dance program."

"¡Dios mío!" Hinata squealed and jumped up excitedly, knocking over half of her supplies as she hugged Naruto. "This is so awesome!"

Naruto chuckled and hugged her back, burying his face in her hair, her earthy scent of exotic spices. How could she be so excited about something that had nothing to do with her? How could she be so happy for him, especially after what he had done to her?

"You're gonna go, right?" she asked as he set her down.

"You knocked everything over." Naruto bent down to start picking up the first aid supplies.

"Naruto." Her voice was sterner this time.

He didn't look up at her. "No, I'm not going to go."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not."

Hinata bent down on her knees and looked straight at Naruto. "You're afraid."

Naruto wouldn't look at her. "I'm not."

"You're a coward. A pathetic, useless coward."

Naruto stood and glared at her. "I'm not!"

"Then prove it." Hinata stood. "You might run from this pregnancy, you might run from me, but don't you dare run from this. Prove that you have a backbone and at least go tomorrow and see what the professor has to say."

"I can't!"

"You can!"

"You don't understand, I can't! If I get caught…" Naruto's eyes welled up with unshed tears. He couldn't. It was too risky. Dancing wasn't worth their happiness.

Hinata stepped closer to him and softly said, "Then don't get caught."

He looked down at her, her eyes full of unwavering faith. He didn't understand it. He didn't understand her.

"How come you're so nice to me?" he whispered.

She smiled. "Because you're my best friend."

"Temari's your best friend."

"What, I'm not allowed to have two best friends?"

"No, it's just…" He sighed.

"I told you I didn't regret having sex with you."

"But you're pregnant."

"Naruto, how many girls have you had sex with?"

He looked down.

"Exactly, and not one of them got pregnant. Not one. For some unknown reason I'm supposed to have your kid. I want to have it. If I didn't, I wouldn't have told you and would've just gotten an abortion."

"But what about your future? A career? Meeting mister right and all that stuff that chicks want?"

"I'm not ruined, Naru. I'll have all the things I want in life. Having a kid doesn't change that; it just makes things a little more complicated. I'm okay with complicated. Are you?"

Naruto sighed and didn't answer. He just bent back down and finished picking up the supplies. Hinata didn't push him for it. Maybe he just needed more time. She did too. Despite her brave words to him just now, she was still scared of what the future had in store for her and her piccolo bambino. As long as they could maintain their friendship everything would be all right, though. She hoped.

Translations:

¡Dios mío!, My goodness!, Oh my god!, Good god!, Gracious me!, &c. (Spanish)