Becoming Friends

"Can you read them all in one day?" Naruto asked shocked to see four books Hinata was carrying towards the gazebo which right next to Naruto mother's garden.

"Don't challenge me, Naruto Uzumaki" she replied acting smug. She knew this was her time to shine, she knew she could easily complete these books in a day. They weren't even more than a hundred pages long.

"These aren't even a hundred pages long… do you… even read?" she asked him surprised to see that the son of authors clearly doesn't like to read.

"Well… I never really cared for… books" he replied feeling embarrassed for the first time in his life. For not trying to read books when Kakashi gave him. But Kakashi did read erotic books, it's better he didn't read them.

Maybe I should start reading books…. the thought came suddenly to him as he was walking behind her and sun-rays from a window nearby lit her back. She was looked just what her names means – a ray of sunshine.

"Oh hey! I forgot to ask… is your parent's books never printed more than once? I never saw them in the public library in my town" she asked him as they reached the stairs, "although the library is kind of small, I thought that a series so big must me world famous…"

Naruto was visibly shaken. He did not except her to ask this… he was bad at improvising stuff but he tried to so anyway.

"Oh well you know… they wanted to write everything first and then publish it altogether. And it is as you said your town's public library is small, so you won't find it there… forget about those books though."

"Oh… okay" Hinata replied.

They walked silently towards the gazebo. As soon as they reached Hinata was submerged in her books and she did not care about anything in this world anymore. Naruto on the other hand was looking around, looking for any sign of danger. It was his first instinct, every time he was out here some White Zetsu pops up from somewhere… for some reason this part of the state is not "White-Zetsu free" as Jiraiya like to call it. But around midday Naruto got bored and decided to lay back on the gazebo's wall and take a small nap.

Hm… looks like they aren't coming today… he thought already getting sleepy, as Hinata started reading her second book.

#

"Should we tell him?" Yamato asked as they saw Naruto dozing off in the gazebo. All of them were gathered around the kitchen's window and were looking the young couple.

"No! Are you crazy?! It will break his heart and Hinata's!" Tsunade shouted, "look at them! They are getting along… without us! Do you really want to change THAT" Tsunade said pointing towards Naruto and Hinata.

"Obviously no… but they deserve to know" Yamato countered, "but they both need to know… if not Naruto then at least Hinata!"

"No Yamato… as much as it pains me to say this – Tsunade is right" Jiraiya said and got smacked by Tsunade, "OW! What I meant was we cannot afford her hatred towards him… if we tell her that her only cousin was taken by the White Zetsu… she might blame it on Naruto. No one and I mean no one can be that understanding. Not even some as kind and considerate as her… it's best to keep the information to ourselves."

"This makes two of her family members to be caught in this… do you think she might be next? Or her father?" Kakashi asked.

"I hope not… I really hope it's not her. It seems that Naruto is starting to like her company and making an effort to be respectful because of her… I fear what he will do if they take her… let's hope nothing happens to our young couple" Jiraiya said.

Everyone looked at the gazebo one last time and went to do their work.

#

"AHHHH!" Hinata screamed and Naruto woke up alarmed, with a knife in his hand to instantly kill any enemy he sees.

"GET BEHIND ME!" he shouted and pulled Hinata behind him, "WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"Who?" Hinata asked confused, "what are you talking about?"

"White Zetsu! Where are you! Don't you dare hurt her…"

"Naruto…" Hinata touched his shoulder with her free hand, "there are no White Zetsu… I think you might be dreaming."

"No! I heard your scream!" Naruto replied suddenly realizing that his grip on her hand was too tight.

"Oh, that" Hinata started to get red, "that was just because of the book I was reading…"

"The… what?" Naruto didn't understand her first and then he remembered why they were out in the gazebo in the first place.

"Oh right… the books" Naruto said as the realization dawn onto him, "what time is it?" he kept the knife back into his pocket, still a bit unsure about the safety of the region.

"I think it's around two o'clock… you have been sleeping since midday. Sorry to wake you up like that!"

"It's no big deal!" he said rubbing his eyes, "we should probably get going though… we haven't eaten since morning… I hope you are hungry because I am famished!"

"Famished?" Hinata said a bit surprised at why he would even know such a word and regretted it instantly. She was still not used to see him be this nice and sort of kind to people. But these last two days have been a wonder. She cannot believe she actually used to hate is now suddenly growing on her, she likes spending time with him. But at the end of the day, she still wasn't free, she was still his prisoner and if she tried to escape this place… she will have to face the consequences or worse maybe her father has to see the consequences. She feared the worst. Even though she started to like Naruto, deep down she was scared of the beast inside of him. Something that might snap anything cause havoc.

"News flash, Hinata – I know big words, even though I don't read much!" he said chuckling and getting out of the gazebo. As the sun rays hit him, his blonde head was shinning brightly which complimented his very blue eyes, he was smiling at Hinata brightly, not even a slightest bit annoyed with Hinata thinking that he doesn't know any "big words" or that she implied she thought he was dumb. In fact, he made an actual joke, something that made Hinata's nerves to calm down, her fear of the beast went away for the time he was standing in the sun, and smiling at her.

"Well do I have to pick you up?" Naruto said with a very serious expression on his face, which made Hinata blush out of embarrassment.

"N-no" she said quietly and Naruto almost missed it.

"Well then! Get a move on! I am F-A-M-I-S-H-E-D" Naruto spelled out the word with smirk on his face, "and before you insult me… yes I do know how to spell stuff."

Once again Hinata was left speechless, she did not understand why he was being so nice to her suddenly not that she minds. Yesterday she thought he was just returning her the favour of saving him and nursing him… But why today? She thought.

"Hinata if you don't walk fast, I'm gonna have to carry YOU!" he shouted and Hinata ran towards him trying to hide her red face.

#

After having lunch, both Naruto and Hinata went back to their rooms.

What the hell was I doing today?! Naruto thought as he was recalling the events of morning, I was making jokes! What is happening to me? I was just doing a favor yesterday… why did I wanted to hang out with her today?! I don't understand. She is my prisoner… I should not be treating her like a goddamned guest!

Naruto was lying on his bed trying to figure out what he was feeling? This sensation was something very new to him, he did not understand it at all. But he did know something, he was feeling happiness. He felt it around Sasuke and he was definitely feeling it around her.

But I barely know her! How can she have this effect on me?! UGH this is so frustrating!

They both did not meet for dinner. And the next day too they did not meet, both avoided each other. Trying to run away from their feelings.

The day after that Naruto bumped into Hinata cleaning a room. He saw which room it was and his anger started to boil again. But this time rather than lashing out he tried to talk to her and know how did she had the audacity to step into his parents' room, a room that has been untouched of more than a decade.

"Hey… what do you think you are doing?" he asked in the politest way possible for him.

"Cleaning of course! I did the east wing yesterday… it's so dirty and apparently this is my sentence as a prisoner" she said the last part bitterly.

Sentence as a prisoner?! I never said anything about this… Naruto thought.

"Who said you have to do it?" he asked her perplexed.

"Jiraiya" she replied.

Of course, he did!

"Well you don't need to do this room…" Naruto said.

"Well…huff… I need to… do… it…" Hinata said as she cleaned and picked up a lamp from the bedside table to clean beneath it.

"HEY! PUT THAT DOWN! DON'T TOUCH MY PARENTS STUFF!" Naruto screamed and Hinata dropped the lamp. It shattered into a thousand pieces. Naruto's eyes turned red in an instant with his borrowed eyebrows he glared at her.

"What is wrong…" Hinata was saying when she saw his eyes, as red as blood. Her heart skipped a beat, her first instinct was to run away like before, this was exactly what she was afraid of.

No… don't scare her again! Naruto thought when he saw Hinata's face. He started fighting his anger, control! Naruto! You can do this! Make her your friend… maybe she will be able to help me in the way Sasuke did… I don't want her to run away again! I LIKE BEING WITH HER! he shouted in his head and snapped out of his extreme anger state. His blood red eyes were blue again and his whiskers, which became prominent were fading away. His nails which elongated were also shortening. He was himself once again. He went towards Hinata who was sitting at the corner of the bed with her knees touching her chest and her head looking down. Near her were the shattered pieces of the lamp. And he heard a little sob coming from her.

"Hey" he said in the softest voice possible, a voice he didn't even know he was capable of speaking, "hey Hinata, I won't hurt you. I am sorry, I scared you again. Please look at me."

Hinata slowly raised her head and saw Naruto hovering over her. Naruto saw her pale lavender eyes were watery. She had dirt on her nose and her hairs were all tied up in a pony. The moment his eyes locked with hers, he understood what a heartbreak feels like. He made her upset and it made him sick that she was crying because of him.

"Hey hey hey… don't" he said crouching down and wiping a tear from her face, "I won't hurt you. I promise."

"I-I-I'm… s-s-s-sorr-sorry" she shuttered.

"No, Hinata I'm sorry… I overreacted over a lamp" he said sitting next to her. He put his arm around her petite figure. And did not let her go for a long time. They both sat there for a while and when Hinata felt a bit better she broke the hug. Naruto hated it but obliged.

"I'll clean it up" she said looking at the shards of glass on the floor.

"No" Naruto said holding her hand, "you will do no such thing."

"But—" Hinata argued but Naruto placed his index finger on her lips.

"No buts. Can you knit?"

"Why?"

"Just answer the question, Hinata."

"Yes, I can knit."

"Very well then. Come with me" he said standing up and offering her his hand. To his surprise, she took it. Standing up she dusted her purple frock and Naruto led the way.

"Careful with the glass" he warned her and took her to a closet on the opposite side of the room.

"My mom loved to knit. When I was a baby, she made me a green and white scarf, I still have it…" Naruto hesitated for a bit, "before she… died… she was knitting something f-for my father" he opened the closet and took out a red knitting ball with a almost completed red scarf, only the last few knits were left.

"My mom had bright red hairs and that was her most amazing feature… I don't really remember much about her but I do remember her voice and her red hair. I heard the story of how my parents got together from Kakashi and discovered that my mom was knitting this for my father." Hinata was listening everything every carefully.

"But as you can see it, she never got to complete it… can you knit the rest for me? I want to place it on my father's g-g-grave…" Naruto asked not looking at Hinata. She's going to say no.

"Yes" Hinata said her heart full of love, she knew the meaning of this scarf. The strong bond it holds between people's hearts, there is no way in hell she was ever going to deny this request. After all she saw her mom do the same thing. This was the red string of fate between two lovers, separated by death but never apart. She didn't care at that moment if Naruto wasn't a good person or not, whether she was his prisoner or not all that she cared about was bringing the two lovers together. Tying them once again, with their red string of fate.

Naruto looked at her, surprised. She took the scarf from his hand and gave him a small smile.

"I'll get it done in two days" she said, "oh but there is enough wool to make one another? What should I do with that?"

Naruto was too surprised to answer her question, he just looked at her and said, "you can keep it. Consider it as a gift from me, an apology perhaps?" he said hoping she would not hate him after his red eyes few minutes before.

"I do not hate you, Uzmaki Naruto. And I accept your apology" she said and went outside the room leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts.

#

"Where are you! Jiraiya!" Naruto shouted as he entered the kitchen, "I need to have a word with you!"

"What is it now boy?" Jiraiya sounded bored, "which food item did you not like this time?"

"I did not come here for complaining about food, I came here to talk about Hinata!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, you mean our prisoner?" Jiraiya replied lazily, "what about her?"

"She is not your servant!" he shouted.

"What on earth do you mean? Isn't she our prisoner?" Jiraiya asked, suddenly getting interested in the conversation.

"No… I mean yes, she is. But that doesn't give you the right to treat her like a fucking servant!" blustered out.

"Oooo someone's interested in her…" Jiraiya said teasingly, "what is going on in that stone-cold heart of yours, Naruto?" he said poking him in the chest.

"Nothing that concerns you, old man!" he said backing off and getting flustered, "I just wanted to make clear that she is not our servant, so don't treat her like one!"

"Okay… then how should we treat her? Like she's the owner of this mansion? You tell me, if she is a prisoner doesn't, she deserved to be punished?" Jiraiya said getting annoyed.

"No... I mean yes, she does. I gave her a better punishment than your silly one…" Naruto tried to counter.

That's the second time you said no boy… you actually care for her huh? Jiraiya thought.

"Well what did you give her to do?" Jiraiya asked him.

"I gave her to finish knitting the scarf my mom was making for my father" Naruto said in one breath. Jiraiya was utterly shocked. He never imagined Naruto would let anyone even touch that scarf, no matter who they are it was something Naruto kept most close to his heart. The only thing he felt love towards, he gave that to her. Not to mention the message it delivered. Naruto never understood the "string of fate" but Jiraiya was sure Hinata would understand that.

"Naruto are you serious?" Jiraiya asked him getting serious, "you know what that represents? I know you were never able to understand-"

"I think… I am starting to understand it, old man" Naruto said and left the kitchen without any word leaving Jiraiya searching for words.

Both Naruto and Hinata were now somehow connected to each other even without their knowledge. Both were kept inside the castle without their will, both were the prisoners in their story and more than anything both of them wanted to be free. Free from his curse or free from her boring life, they craved it. But none could get it. Their stories were quite same and now that they have intertwined together and before they would know there might be something there that wasn't there before.