Chapter Thirteen: Hinata's tale: Love Lost and Found

Author's Note:

...and Hinata's tale goes ever onward... but trust me dear reader... the end is in sight.

As has been the case for the rest of this flashback, events in regular type are happening in 'present day' flashback (Approx. 3 years post fourth war) Story elements in italics are happening within Hinata's memories inside that flashback... a flashback within a flashback if you will...

Please let me know if things get too confusing.

-Cas

"Hey Hinata... are you... doing okay?" Naruto was staring at her with concern.

"Hmm?" Hinata looked away from the window. "I'm sorry, I was just... thinking about something else there for a second. What did you say?" She had been trying to force away the hollow feeling that was building up inside of her by focusing on happier memories of easier times. This decision… the choice between love and duty kept forcing itself to the forefront of her mind. Naruto meant the world to her, but so did her family, and there were people in her clan depending on her.

"I asked if everything was okay. You don't seem to be eating much."

Hinata gave a weak smile and shook her head. "The food is delicious. I just had too many hors d'oeuvres at the meeting. I'm eating slowly."

"Oh, as long as everything is to your liking," said Naruto with a trace of nervousness in his voice. His hand brushed his jacket pocket. "Anyway, I was over visiting Kakashi-sensei's today, and I got a chance to play with Chirosu and Hebisu." Naruto took a bite and chewed. "They conned me into playing a quick game of ninja with them and their friends… it was pretty adorable"

"How old are they now?" asked Hinata putting down her glass.

"They just turned two. It was so funny. Anko-san had agreed to watch Asuma Jr. for Kurenai-sensei, while she was off on a short mission, and the twins were just chasing him all over the house. They both wanted to be next to him the whole time. He would sit and they'd both run over and try to sit in the same chair. He would go down the hall and they'd follow him. When he had a snack, they'd try to take and eat whatever it was he was eating. When he was in the bathroom, they were pounding at the door begging to be let in. Eventually he went running to Anko. Well, you know her parenting style right? She turned around and said, 'The next little girl who bothers Asuma-kun will get hung up by her thumbs!' and storms off. Both Chirosu and Hebisu started bawling their eyes out. Poor Asuma, he was surrounded by two blubbering toddlers screaming at the top of their lungs. He didn't know what to do! Finally, he agreed to play with them for the rest of the afternoon just to get them to stop crying. You should have seen the look on his face when They tied him up and told him they were playing ninjas, and he was the handsome prince captured by bad guys and they were the strong beautiful kunoichi coming to rescue him." Naruto grinned. "Of course, then they started arguing who would rescue him first, and that led to a brawl, so then I decided to step in as the forces of evil... give them something to fight other than each other."

Hinata smiled. "The poor boy. Those two girls must be smitten with him." She pulled some vegetables from the serving bowl and put them on her plate. "I can see why though. He is such a cutie pie."

Naruto leaned back in his chair. "Yep. Who knew kids could be so much fun. I always thought that they were crying little balls of snot."

"Naruto!" Hinata admonished him.

"Well they are... sometimes," he protested. He put his hand in his pocket quickly and then pulled it away. "Sorry… I guess I've just been thinking about kids lately."

Hinata smiled and nudged him under the table. "You've caught the baby fever have you?"

Naruto nudged her back. "Well it has been going around hasn't it? I mean Tenten is the proudest soon to be mother I have ever seen. Neji is smiling… Smiling! Temari is, as we speak, dragging Shikamaru all over the village picking out maternity wear, new furniture, and complaining about how they absolutely have to go back to the Sand Village for her to give birth because 'All these trees can't be good for an infant's development.'"

Hinata giggled. "I can picture her saying that." She paused for a second and her face fell. "Poor Ino," she said quietly.

Naruto looked down. "Yeah, I know," he murmured. Then he shrugged. "She's young. She's pretty. She's had boyfriends before, she'll have them again."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "Oh? You think she's pretty do you?" she said with mock seriousness.

Naruto leaned across the table. "I only have eyes for one woman," he said in a smoky voice. He kissed her quickly and sat back down. He looked at her over the candles on the table. "Um… Can you keep a secret?" he asked in a whisper.

"Of course," said Hinata. "What?"

"Tenten and Temari aren't the only shinobi we know with a baby on the way."

"Really?" said Hinata, thinking of the couples that she knew. "Who is it? Are they Leaf Village shinobi?"

"Yep!" said Naruto.

Hinata pondered for a moment. "It can't be Konohamaru can it? He's far too young!"

Naruto laughed and shook his head. "Nope! Besides, he and Hibari broke up about two months ago. I'll give you a hint. The soon to be parents don't have an 'official' relationship, but we all probably should have seen it coming."

Hinata shook her head. "I need a better hint."

Naruto leaned forward. "The Uchiha clan is about to grow by one." He waggled his eyebrows.

"Sasuke?" gasped Hinata. Naruto nodded with a smug smile on his face. "But… with who? Who could possibly be the mother?"

"Think about it." Naruto tilted his head slightly and innocently looked up at the ceiling. "It's not a very long list of possibilities isn't it?"

"Sakura?" Hinata whispered. Naruto nodded, a short little bob of his head. Hinata sat back in shock. "Sakura is pregnant?"

"Yep!"

"So Sasuke and Sakura... have been sleeping together?" Hinata asked, forcing her voice to stay low.

"It's my understanding that's how this sort of thing usually happens." Naruto grinned, clearly enjoying himself.

"She never said a word to me!" Hinata looked accusingly at Naruto. "Did you know about this?"

Naruto shifted a little. "Well, I didn't really know for certain. I... suspected... something was going on between them, but you know how Sasuke is. I didn't want to pry."

"So Sakura told you?"

Naruto grinned. "Well, not exactly…" He grew serious quickly. "Hey, please don't go spreading this around okay? Sakura is barely a month and a half in, and she'd kill me if she found out I was telling people before she was ready to."

Hinata nodded. "I can see why… I promise not to say a word...But... then how do you know then if she didn't tell you? Was it Sasuke?"

Naruto sat back and grinned again. "Remember how I said I wanted to take you out to a very special dinner because I wanted to celebrate something really great that was going to happen?"

Hinata stared at him. "Yes?"

Naruto smiled, his face flushed. "Well, I got to sit in on the Hokage's small council today."

Hinata smiled. "Why that's fantastic Naruto! Did you offer the fifth Hokage any good advice?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, still grinning. "No.., I didn't do so hot, but that's okay." He looked her in the eye. "I'll have lots of chances to improve."

Hinata sat up. "Tsunade-sama named you to her council?" She said with excitement for him.

Naruto grinned wider than a crocodile. "Better. She named me her successor! You madam are eating dinner with the future sixth Hokage!" He looked down shyly. "Officially." He grinned bashfully. "That's the future sixth Hokage part... not the dinner part… I mean dinner is obvious."

Hinata leaped across the table and kissed him. "Oh, Naruto that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah," he said leaning back, "I am pretty great aren't I?"

Hinata gave him a playful shove. "Don't get a swelled head you," she warned. She sat back down and gave him a wry smile. "I always knew you could do it."

Naruto gave her a loving look and then glanced away shyly. "That's true," he said quietly, "you have always believed in me." He sat for a moment smiling strangely, fidgeting.

"What is it?" asked Hinata.

"I was just wondering... what other… significant things could happen before today is over." His hand was toying with something in his pocket. Hinata nervously sipped from her glass, and a long silence fell over the table.

"Naruto," she started.

"Hinata," Naruto said at the same time. He smiled at her and eased back into his seat. "You go ahead."

Hinata smiled timidly. "I... also... have some news from today." Naruto looked at her expectantly. She nervously plunged on ahead. "I have to make a decision tomorrow about... whether or not I will become my Father's heir to the head of the clan."

Naruto's eyebrows shot up. "Woo-hoo!" he yelled, flinging his arms into the air. Conversation in the restaurant ceased and everyone turned to stare. "Hinata that's great! Your father is finally acknowledging you!" He jumped up from his seat and hugged her across the table, knocking over his wine glass in the process. "That is so incredible!" He started to shower her with kisses. He paused and looked down at her lack of enthusiasm. "Wait… What happened to Hanabi? Is she okay?"

Hinata nodded. "She's fine," she said quietly. "She's joining the ANBU."

"Oh," said Naruto, a little confused. "Is there something else wrong then? I would have expected you to be a little happier."

Hinata stared down at her plate not talking. A waiter came by to clean up the mess of Naruto's spilled wine. He glared disapprovingly at them. "Sorry," said Naruto. "I'll make it up to you in your tip." The waiter stomped away muttering something about the nouveau riche.

Hinata started again. "It's… well... partly it's just a lot of responsibility and I'm... not sure I want that."

"But you'd be great at it Hinata! You handled the logistics and inventory for the war, you're great at listening to people, you're fair, you're forgiving!" He smiled at her happily. "I believe in you Hinata! I know you'll do a great job!"

Hinata toyed with her fork. "But... what if... we can't see each other anymore," she whispered.

Naruto took her hand. "Hinata, I will always make time for you." He shrugged. "I mean sure, I'll be much busier now that I've got to learn all this Hokage stuff, and you'll be busier with the clan stuff but we'll still find time for each other right?" He smiled at her. "It's just an added job, right?"

Hinata brushed his hand away. She turned and clasped her arms around her torso. "The Head of the Hyuga clan is a very important position. There are a lot of clan traditions that have to be upheld and obeyed. There is a lot of nuance that the Head of the Clan has to adhere to in the middle of all of the politics and positioning, otherwise someone will get offended. Any problem could basically cause the clan enterprises to grind to a standstill." She sighed and continued in a flat voice. "What I wear, who I sit next to, the people I meet with…" she glanced up at Naruto. "Who I am in a relationship with…"

Naruto smiled with bravado. "Well, that's no problem. You're dating the future Sixth Hokage! You can't get much better than that!" he said, jabbing at his chest with his thumb. Hinata still refused to look at him. Naruto's grin faded. "What?" he asked.

Hinata took a deep breath. "My father arranged a marriage for me today. Someone whom he believes is will be a better match for the Head of the Hyuga clan... Someone who will consolidate the clan power in the family. I am... forbidden from seeing you again," she said quietly.

Naruto gave a weak smile. "This is a joke isn't it?" Hinata didn't say anything. Naruto's cheek twitched. His hands clenched into fists. "Son of a bitch!" he exploded. "How dare he treat his own daughter like she was some sort of… of… commodity to be sold! I swear I will.."

"Naruto! Sit down!" yelled Hinata. Naruto paused mid rant and looked down at her. Tears were streaming down Hinata's face. "I don't want you to get angry. Not now, not here," she said sobbing. "I need you, but I need you to be calm and to listen and... to help me." She wiped at her cheeks with her hands.

Naruto put his arms down slowly. He took a deep breath. He pulled his chair next to her and sat down. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry." He reached over and put his hand on her knee. "I shouldn't have gotten mad like that. What do you need?"

Hinata calmed down and took a drink. She grabbed his hand and began to tell him about her day in detail. She told him about her sister, her Father's dilemma, Junko's manipulating and Honan's scheming. She told him about the plight of Sayuri and the veiled threats towards Neji, his unborn child and the rest of the branch family. She told him about her fight with her father over him. She told him how this morning, no one in the clan cared a bit about her existence, but she was happy. Now, she was the crucial linchpin for the future of the whole clan, and she was miserable. She told him how it all seemed to depend on her. The candles burned down. The food got cold.

Naruto listened and stroked her hand. When she ran out of things to say, they sat in silence for a long time.

"Wow," said Naruto quietly. "So basically you can either take the job, which means you have to deal with backstabbing and treachery for the rest of your life, and marry this Mikio guy just so creepy witch lady can have bragging rights that the Head of the Hyuga clan is her daughter-in-law." He took a deep breath." Or you can refuse, get exiled from the clan, and watch everyone start cheating, stealing, burning, poisoning and murdering each other." He looked up at her. "Nice family you have there."

"That's not everyone. Some of them are quite nice," she said sharply. She dropped her head. "But it's true, for most of them at the top, deception and treachery are second nature." Hinata sighed. "I don't know what to do."

They sat silently for a while longer. "Well," said Naruto thoughtfully, "I could ask Kurama to take a dump on the witch lady's front lawn."

"What?" asked Hinata, horrified and amused.

Naruto held up his hands. "Hear me out... It's a good plan! So what would happen is; late at night we head over to her house and Kurama makes a 'deposit'. She wakes up in the morning and there's this huge steaming mountain of crap blocking the front gate, right? Now I don't know what Nine tailed fox dung smells like , but I'm guessing it isn't roses." He smiled. "The witch lady is going to freak out and hire a bunch of people to cart it all away as quickly as possible. That's going to cost a ton of money! So the next night we do it again, and again, and again. Pretty soon she's either going to run out of money, or have to move somewhere far, far away! Either way, she won't be a problem ever again." Naruto sat back smugly.

Hinata couldn't help but smile. "That plan is immature and ridiculous. Plus, they will know it's you."

Naruto gave a conspiratorial grin. "How will they know it isn't some other Nine tailed demon fox using their yard as a toilet?"

Hinata stifled a giggle and tried to remain serious. "You've never met Junko. She would never give up. She doesn't know how to yield on anything."

Naruto leaned closer. "We'll take Kurama out for Mexican the night before," he whispered. "She'll never know what hit her!"

Hinata leaned against him. "Thank you Naruto. Your jokes always cheer me up."

"Who's joking? I'm deadly serious. A big enough pile of poo on this one house and half your troubles would disappear." He smiled. "You could be like a yakuza boss. Someone would start to give you trouble and you would give them this cold look and say: 'I hear your garden is looking a little dull this year. I'm going to give your address to this fertilizer company I know!' and all of a sudden everyone will be falling all over themselves with apologies. 'No Boss! Please! We'll do better next time! Honest!'

Hinata laughed. "I love you!" she leaned over and kissed him.

Naruto brushed her bangs off her face. "I love you too..." He cleared his throat. "So… um... this Mikio guy... Is he cute?"

"No!" said Hinata emphatically. "Why?"

"Just checking," said Naruto. "I wanted to see if I should be jealous or not." He looked over the table. "Hmm… Sorry, it looks like dinner got cold."

Hinata shifted closer to him. "That's okay, I wasn't that hungry anyway."

Naruto hugged her. He looked around a little nervously. "So what do you want to do now?" he asked quietly.

Hinata thought. Everything in her life right now seemed to be spinning out of control. She felt unbalanced, like there was nothing holding her down. Her future, which seemed happy and stable this morning, was now a huge mess. She felt like there were only two things that she was sure of: That Naruto loved her, and for tonight at least, he was still hers.

"Do you know what?" she said with forced cheer. "I am a little hungry. Let's go out for ramen."

Naruto looked at her with mild surprise. "Really? You don't want to ask the staff to heat this all back up for you?"

Hinata shook her head. "Don't get me wrong Naruto, I'm happy that you wanted to celebrate by taking me out to a fancy place to eat, but I've had enough of fancy rich food right now. I think I want ramen." She leaned close and kissed him. "Just like we had on our first date."

Naruto looked at her. He smiled a little sadly. "Okay, first date ramen it is." He waved the waiter over for the check. He paid and held the door open for her. They walked down the street arm in arm.

Naruto looked up at the sky. "I don't think we'll be able to reenact our whole first date. The weather looks like it's going to be pretty nice," he said smiling weakly.

Hinata pulled on his hand. "Come here." She pulled him into a narrow alley. Once there she pushed him back against the wall of a building. She pressed up against him. She stared into his eyes, her lips centimeters away from his. She ran her hands over his chest. She untucked his shirt and slid her hands over his stomach. Naruto closed his eyes and leaned forward to kiss her, but Hinata pulled back slightly. She slid her hands down grabbed his hips and pulled him to her. His eyes snapped open and he smiled a little shyly. "After we go out for ramen," she whispered. "I am going to take you back to your apartment. If I need to create an excuse, like being cold and wet, for us to take all of our clothes off and get together underneath your blankets then I will make sure that we are very cold, and very wet. Do you understand?" She slowly brought her lips forward.