I Do Not Own Naruto
Chapter 20
Hinata found herself enjoying this freedom as she spent the whole day being nothing more than a happy noodle. She looked up when Tenten joined her that afternoon. The woman moved with ease as she sat beside her, Hinata's eyes looked to Tenten's swelling stomach and then at the woman.
"Hey Hinata," Tenten smiled slightly as she rubbed her belly.
"Hello Tenten, are you feeling alright?" she asked.
"Better," Tenten admitted and she looked at her bump. "I think Neji would want this."
"He would," Hinata said promptly as they both sat there in silence for a while.
"What's the matter Hinata?" Tenten asked her and Hinata's head snapped over to the woman as she shook her head furiously.
"Nothing," she lied. Truthfully, Sakura's parting words were bothering her, it wasn't that Sakura had said them maliciously but rather that she knew. Hinata had tried to hide it, but she knew that blushing whenever he looked at her, and her younger years of not being able to talk to him without her tongue being tied in knots hadn't helped her hide it. However, it was really only important that her father not know of her love for Naruto at the time, but now… Hinata didn't know.
"Hinata, I've told you everything about Neji and myself, I'm asking as your friend what's the matter," Tenten said softly.
"I… I just… I don't know," she sighed. "I didn't think anyone would ever notice…" she admitted.
"Notice what?" Tenten asked her. Inhaling deeply Hinata found her courage and looked the other woman in the eye as she spoke about what she had on her mind.
"Notice that I love Naruto," she admitted. Tenten let out a laugh then.
"Neji knew, Kami did he ever used to rant and rave about that when we were alone," she chuckled.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, Neji knew, he knew since the day Naruto stood up to those bullies for you, he was there watching over you. He told me he didn't interfere because he didn't want you to rely on him to come save you, and he wanted you to stand up for yourself. He never expected the village orphan to stand up for you, or to try to defend you, he said when you came home with a tattered red scarf in hand he knew," Tenten explained.
Hinata blushed a bit at the memory, she still had that tattered red scarf in a safe little box in her closet. Not even Kō knew about the scarf, no one knew about the scarf she had lovingly tucked away to fix later and return to him. Even then he was a savior, he had been her savior though.
"I didn't know he knew about that," she mumbled shyly.
"He knew, he knew you loved Naruto a great deal," Tenten said wistfully as she rubbed her swelling stomach. "I think that was why he was alright with sacrificing himself for you and Naruto, because you loved him," she whispered.
"Tenten… I…" she started but there were no words she could think to say as she sat there and shut her mouth with a sigh. There was nothing she would ever be able to say to Tenten which would bring Neji back, or convey how much she wished it had rather been her than Neji who had perished that day.
"I don't blame you, or Naruto," Tenten said defensively. "I miss him, I miss him a lot, it's like someone tore out my heart, shredded it into little pieces before lighting it on fire so there was nothing but ash and a hole in my chest. But I can't blame you two no matter how much I hurt, and Kami do I ever hurt. Some days I miss him so much I want to die, but…
"But I have this child, and it needs me, I realize that now, and I'm not going to let losing him prevent me from giving everything to my baby. Lee and Guy have agreed to let me come stay with them when they're out of the hospital; if Tsunade doesn't knock them through the earth's mantle for disobeying her orders for rest.
"I'll figure out what I'm going to do for this child, I'm thinking of a weapons shop." Tenten said.
"I'm still… I didn't want him to die," Hinata finally said.
"He made his choices," Tenten said carefully. "But he died so you two would live, so I suggest that you live to the fullest, and love Naruto with everything you have. Also, tell him you love him, don't let Neji die for nothing. He'd want you to love, and be loved. He loved you a lot Hinata, and even if he never said as much he was very proud of you."
"Really?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yes, and everyone but Kiba and Naruto knows you're in love with Naruto so I would hurry up and tell him," Tenten prompted.
"Hey guys! Come on! We're going to have fun all of us tonight!" Ino called over as she came up to them.
"What are we doing?" Tenten asked suspiciously.
"We're drinking, you're drinking a tea Sakura made you supposed to be full of good vitamins and protiens for the baby," Ino said and Hinata found herself being dragged after the blonde with Tenten and she smiled to herself.
Perhaps it wasn't so bad that everyone knew she loved Naruto, now all she had to do was figure out the best way to get the courage to tell him. If Naruto and Kiba were the only ones who didn't know she loved Naruto then there was no point in hiding it anymore. And she doubted her father would disapprove of the match anymore as she walked into the suite.
"We're playing 'Have You Ever…'," Temari filled in for her and she felt herself blush as she sat at the small table. There were conspiratorial grins between Temari and Sakura which had her approaching the game with caution.
Naruto found himself walking through the village towards where his apartment had been. He had received a notice that he was free to resume his lease there if he chose. Was even sent a key so he could go inspect the place. He wasn't certain what he was expecting, but he knew that he was going to be checking it out reguardless.
Kurama was grumbling about living in the same old smelly apartment, but he honestly had a lot of good memories about the place. Which was why he was considering moving back into it, but first he intended to inspect it and then decide.
Being a War Hero had elevated his status a lot, he noticed as people greeted him and waved. He was smiling and waving back as he walked through the village. It was a good kind of strange, this, and he found he kind of liked the change. It sucked being yelled at and cursed at, and he could remember that vividly as a child. But things were changing and he liked this change, he liked it a lot as he walked through the village.
"Hey! It's Naruto!" a voice shouted.
"Hm?" he stopped and blinked as two girls jogged up to him, dragging a third with them. He remembered the first two from the day they had run into him with Hinata at Ichiraku's. Thinking of Hinata he hoped she was having fun with the other girls, she was always so quiet he wasn't sure if she was enjoying herself or not.
"Hey," he greeted the girls.
"Wow! You're so cool!" the long haired girl gushed; he couldn't remember their names. It had taken four years of knowing Temari just to remember her name!
"What are you doing?" she one with a bob cut asked.
"Oh, I was going to go check out my apartment, they said they rebuilt it!" he grinned.
"Wow," the third gushed. Kurama was snarling at the girls, and Naruto decided it was time to go. Besides he didn't know what they wanted from him.
"Well, I have to get going, it was nice seeing you again," he said as he walked off without them. They were so strange, and they were the first girls he knew to randomly come up to him in the street and gush to him about nothing. Girls were weird was his only passing thought as he walked up to his building then up the rebuilt stairs. He made it to his old apartment and he hesitated for a moment as he stared at the new door before he fumbled with the key in his left hand and opened the door.
Walking in he looked around at the newer but same layout of his old place before Pain decimated the place. Looking around he decided he was going to have to get a new bed and probably new furniture; apparently it hadn't survived Pain's assault. And as he walked over to the window to look out at the village he frowned.
He could live here, it was a good place, and it wasn't like he was living with anyone else, and it was nowhere near the expenses Sakura's apartment was. And it was definitely a step up from the shit hole Sai resided in. Naruto sloppily signed his lease again and then he walked out of the apartment, locked the door and walked to the super. Once all this was sorted out he walked by the hospital to check on Yamato, who he hadn't visited yet and saw him signing out of the hospital.
"Hey Yamato!" he shouted as he jogged up, his sleeve flapping emptily.
"Hey Naruto," Yamato smiled.
"Kakashi, Sai, Sasuke and I were all going out drinking tonight, you want to join us?" he asked then.
"Sure, I just want to go to my apartment first," Yamato said.
"Alright, we're going to the usual place, it's newly built!" he grinned.
"I'll see you there," Yamato said as they parted ways and he decided that tonight was going to be fun with his friends. Jogging to Kakashi's he walked right in then.
"Hey guys!" he said with a huge smile seeing Sai, Sasuke and Kakashi all here.
"Naruto, just what are we doing?" Kakashi asked him.
"Nothing much, but I busted Yamato out and he's waiting, come on!" he ordered giddily and he watched as everyone walked out of the apartment. He was all but bouncing in his glee at having all of Team 7 here with him.
"Hey Sasuke! I got my apartment back!" he announced.
The teme just nodded with a slight smirk.
"You can talk you know," he griped. "Anyways, I just need to get some furniture and it'll be good to go. Also I think I'm getting the hang of this left hand thing, I don't know how you could live left handed it, it sucks.
"This is going to be so much fun! It's only Team 7 here, well, except for Sakura and she's at a girls' weekend…" Naruto jabbered. He was a bit nervous, the giddy kind of nervous which had him uncertain what to say so he just babbled on and on about everything. Sasuke seemed to be listening and he took that as a sign that they were getting to be friends again. It felt good too, he had missed having his best friend around.
They made it to the bar and he reached for the door handle to open it, but he scowled when his sleeve flapped emptily. Sasuke got the door instead and they all sat at the table.
"Hey Captain Yamato!" he greeted seeing the creepy eyed captain sitting at a table already and they all sat there. This was going to be a fun night as they ordered their drinks.
"come on Sasuke! Get a drink!" he prompted when he noticed his friend hadn't ordered one yet. It was a night for drinking, and they were all going to have a good time!
That's all for now folk!
Enjoy Until the Day I Love! =)