Chapter 24-"Truthfully, you make hell look good!"
Hinata ignored another call and let it go voice mail, looked and saw the message notification. Then she burrowed deeper into the sofa cushions and returned to watching TV.
During her first weeks at home she had looked forward to gossipy updates from former colleagues, especially Sora, who was never short of dish. But one day while she hung on his every word, she felt pitiful and pitiable, the girl parked across the street from her ex's house, watching from the shadows, remembering how it used to be and wondering what's going on inside now.
She raked cold lo men into her mouth with chopsticks and wiped her chin with her hand. When she realized no one was calling about a job, there was no point answering so she let her voice earn its keep. Every few days, she held her breath and checked the messages, just in case, but it had been three months, and not a nibble. She washed down the noodles with a swig of wine.
'Where the hell is she?' Naruto hung up. It had taken him a while to work up the appetite for crow, but he'd finally gotten the balls to tell Hinata she was right. Now he couldn't find her. After their last fight he had consulted so many doctors, determined to find one to rebuild his arm, but in the end, they all concurred: Give it up.
For weeks, Naruto jetted between New York, LA, Miami, and Konoha. He partied, acted a fool and avoided the big, hairy truth: He would never play pro ball again. Period. The end. He insisted to Minato it wasn't over yet. Minato tried every way he knew to tell his son all he wanted was for him to be happy, but Naruto was too busy dodging himself to listen.
During an ESPN interview Naruto was asked what he would miss most about baseball. He couldn't answer. He'd arranged his life around the demands of the sport, spring training to fall classic, with the winter reserved for healing wounds. And then it hit him, like a fastball between the eyes. 'He never loved the game in the first place.' He put aside his own dreams too long ago to remember them, hoping to shoulder the load of the burden that seemed too much for his parents. But after all his work and sacrifice Yahiko was still dead, and for the first time, Naruto faced his own anger that Yahiko had checked out and left him to pick up the pieces.
That's when Naruto started putting his life in order. His life, not Yahiko's. Baseball had been good to him, but he was ready to move beyond the playing field, so when Kakashi offered him a piece of the business, Naruto jumped at the deal. Hatake Professional Management officially became Hatake & Uzumaki Professional Management on November 15. He'd just moved into his new Apartment and already he felt more at home than in either of the sprawling, leased-with everything houses in Chicago or LA.
Naruto checked his phone, dialed again and went out onto the balcony. He didn't like to call Hinata at work since he had a big scene with the OSA sports drink team after they dropped him as a spokesperson. But he'd left messages on her cell and home voicemail, and she hadn't called him.
"Ms Mitarashi is no longer with OSA. Can someone else help you?"
"No." 'Leave it to Hinata. Probably used her promotion to get a better deal somewhere else. Leverage, that's what she'd call it. Maybe she took time off before her next gig.' He watched a runner job along the Park despite the rainy wind blowing. But he couldn't imagine her not checking for messages. 'Is she igging me on purpose?'
Looking over at the river he saw a tour boat, lights twinkling around its wide girth, glided downriver. As a kid he'd always wanted to ride that boat. He'd liked boats even then. 'I bought one anyway.' In three days he was flying to Curaçao to sail Brother's keeper back to Boca for the winter. In Florida he would check out two football prospects, then home for two days and it was on the road again. Thanksgiving weekend in Michigan, Iowa, and Nebraska, then he'd continue west, meeting coaches and looking at players for two weeks.
Naruto wanted to get the "I told you so's over with and he was excited about the partnership with Kakashi and there was nobody he'd rather tell about it. 'I'll swing by Hinata's before I meet Kakashi in NYC at the Garden. I'll leave a message with her doorman if she's not home.'
The slight man in the gold trimmed maroon jacket reminded Naruto of a toy soldier. "Miss Mitarashi said no one is to be sent up." He spoke with a lisp. "Hey, wait…you're…him!"
"In the flesh." Naruto flashed the "You can trust me" look.
"You're a friend of Miss Mitarashi?"
"A very old friend. Has she been back long?"
"She hasn't been nowhere to be back from." He lowered his voice and continues on the gossip. "If it wasn't for deliveries, we woulda thought she was sick or somethin'."
'Weeks indoors? That's not like Hinata.' Naruto fished a hundred from his pocket, let the doorman see it, then closed his hand around it. "You ring her. I'll do the talkin'"
The doorman peeked at Naruto's hand. "I have to get the dog in 3B."
"Congratulations!" Naruto held out his hand, the doorman shook it, copped the cash, and went inside, leaving the house phone in the vestibule unattended.
"Yes? What is it?" Hinata sounded annoyed when she answered the intercom.
"It's me, Naruto." Heavy silence. "Hinata? What's up? I've been calling you."
"Listen, Naruto. I don't feel so hot. Another time."
"Look, I'm not leaving until you let me up or call the cops. The choice is yours."
That's when the doorman returned, Pomeranian in tow. "Can I help you sir?" He asked as if he'd never seen Naruto before.
"I'm here to see Miss Mitarashi." Naruto still held the phone.
Hinata's voice was muffled as it came over the open line. "Its okay. Let him up."
The door was ajar, and cigarette smoke met Naruto as soon as he stepped inside. The apartment was dark except for an erratic flicker of white light. From restless nights in hotel rooms, coming down off nine innings of adrenaline, Naruto knew it was the TV. "Hinata?"
"In here."
He found Hinata in the living room, curled into a corner of the sofa.
"Are you sick?" Naruto came around in front of her. 'She looks beat and not the good beat.'
"I guess you could say that. You name it, I'm sick of it."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He could see the coffee table littered with takeout menus empty soda cans, balled up paper bags, and an over flowing ashtray. The fermented grape scent mixed with stale smoke smelled like a dive bar at closing time.
"I only let come up so you would leave. I don't intend to play twenty questions. You've seen me. And you know where the door is." Hinata took a sip from her glass.
"Whooaa!" Naruto stepped over a pizza box and took up position between Hinata and the silent television. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me something, cause this is not standard procedure." He shoved his hands in his trouser pockets and waited.
Hinata aimed the remote control around him and changed channels. She looked up at him like she wished the remote had a button to get rid of him too.
Naruto didn't budge.
"They fired me." She looked away. "Are you happy now?!"
"What do you mean they fired you? I thought you got a promotion!"
"Nice touch, huh?"
"That's shitty." He sat on the other end of the sofa and hunched forward.
"Life's full of shitty people, you can't do nothing about it." Hinata clicked the remote again.
"I used to think so, but a friend of mine helped me get my head straight.' He reached up and switched on the lamp next to him.
They both squinted in the light. Hinata wore gray sweats and one sock. Her hair looked like it hadn't been combed and the hollows beneath her eyes were deep and dark.
"I'm sure I look like hell, but since I didn't invite you…"
"Truthfully, you make hell look good! When was the last time you were out?"
She looked at the soundless set. "Who cares? I don't have any pressing appointments."
"A job isn't you life, Hinata."
"It was." She lit a cigarette and tossed the match at the overflowing ashtray. It landed on the table. Naruto shook his head and put it in ashtray. "No Antismoking sermon, okay?" She took a long drag. "I had a neat, prosperous, corporate life. I socialized around it, my so called friends came from it. Everything I've done for the last ten years was for my career." 'And my father.' But she wasn't ready to talk about that.
"And you know what? It's all turned to shit."
"Okay. Do you want to tell me what happened?"
"Nothing new. I should've seen it coming, but I was blinded by the bullshit."
"You gonna tell me or keep beating yourself up?"
She exhaled a slow stream of smoke and recited the gory details.
"They can't fire you without cause." He rested his arm on the back of the couch.
Hinata smirked. "They can do any damn thing they want, but technically, I wasn't fired. That was my choice of words. Officially OSA is now a division of Akatsuki LTD, and I became redundant. I got a lovely golden handshake…"
"A what?" Naruto asked.
"My severance package, Oh they compensated me well after playing me for a fool. I'm not the only casualty. "Kakuzu, the man who hired and fired me, got canned, too."
"You're good at what you do. You'll find another job."
"Yeah, I thought so too. I called the people who said 'If you leave OSA, come see us.' What I heard was 'I'd love to make you an offer, but we're holding the line, especially on Exec row. Keep in touch.' The usual bullshit. I dish it myself. Excuse me, I used to."
"I'm sure you haven't even scratched the surface."
"I'm not sure I want to, I don't know what the hell I want, which is the first time that's happened since I was a kid and decided I was gonna prove I'm not like Anko."
"You could start by proving you're among the living, A shower is a good first step."
"Right." Hinata sunk deeper into her corner.
"Follow you own advice, hard as that may be. It's your life, get on with it."
She glowered at him. "Smart-ass!"
"You had a helluva lot to say to me a few months ago. And you were right. That's why I came by. So you could gloat! I left you messages…"
"I know. I didn't feel like talking."
"Now I know you need to get out of here. You always have something to say."
"Obviously I should've been minding my business instead of tending to yours."
"Didn't you hear me? I said you were right! About baseball, Yahiko, absolutely on point, ya'know. I needed to make a choice based on what I wanted for once. And I did."
"Congratulations! Hinata snapped. "Now will you leave me alone?"
"Not a chance. I gotta get you outta here. I know you're dying to hear what I've been doing. Don't try to deny it." Naruto grinned and eased back in the sofa, hands behind his head. "I can see you're burning with curiosity." That actually got a smile out of her.
"You got tattooed and joined a motorcycle gang? No! No! I got it. You've become a fashion designer and married Shion?!"
"If you don't get you butt off this couch and get ready to go out, I'll throw you in the shower myself. You got til ten, One…two.. three..four.."
"I'm not going anywhere."
He walked to her end of the sofa. "Five..six…seven..eight"
Hinata crossed her arms and legs, ready for the sit-in.
"Nine…ten…Okay. Have it your way."
She knew he'd pick her up if she didn't move. "Fine! Okay! Okay! Give me twenty minutes." Hinata laughed out loud from the first time in weeks and headed for the bathroom.
Naruto left a "Something's come up" message for Kakashi, and twenty minutes later, Hinata, hair minus her bangs brushed up into a topknot bun, emerged wearing black leggings, a matching tunic, and no make up. She tugged her black coat from a hanger, but Naruto reached past her.
"You're not going to a funeral. Wear this one." He grabbed the red coat next to it.
The rain had stopped, but a damp chill lingered. They strolled down the street and Hinata looked up as a tram crossed the river. "I always wanted to do that."
"Why didn't you?"
"I don't know. Seemed silly, I guess. I never had a reason to go on there."
"Maybe you don't need a reason." He ushered her west of the street. The tram waggled over the river like a carnival ride, and after the round-trip Hinata's spirits seemed a bit brighter.
"There's something I've always wanted to do too," Naruto announced.
"What's stopping you?" Hinata asked.
"Not a thing." They raced across to the pier, caught the last tour boat of the day. They stood on the upper deck and sailed toward the lower part of Konoha city. Ignoring the tour guide's banter, Naruto explained how Hatake & Uzumaki was going to become a major player in the sports management business.
Hinata envied his enthusiasm for his recruiting trip and the long-range goals he and Kakashi had laid out. 'It's been years since I felt so fired up.' Each promotion at OSA carried her farther from the action, but she still longed for the thrill of a challenge. The bridges floated by overhead unnoticed.
'Maybe I need a change.' Other than a pinpoint focus on bitterness, she hadn't allowed another perspective on her situation. 'Was I even happy? When was the last time I really enjoyed what I was doing? I wanted to succeed. Make him proud, and for what?'
"You know, Hinata last time I saw you, you told me things about myself I didn't much care for. My head's kinda hard ya'know, so it took a while to sink in, but.."
"Before you go on telling me how I was right and all that, I have to come clean, too."
She looked down into the churning water. "You told about my…fath.." The word caught in her throat like a jagged barb. She swallowed hard and lowered her voice til it was barely above a whisper. "Hiashi Hyuga. You were right." Hinata gripped the rail and tears trickled down her cheeks and she told him most of the blistering details of her last meeting with Hiashi.
Naruto could hardly keep still as he listened. He wanted to hunt Hyuga down and kick his ass. He wanted to hold Hinata tight and take the pain away. She was the strongest woman he knew, yet he had always felt the need to protect her, to make her feel safe. Like that afternoon in the Haruno basement. He fought his urges and instead draped his arm over her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze.
Hinata lit a cigarette, and for once, Naruto didn't object. They drifted down the channel between Konoha and New York and were still standing like that when the fog that had wrapped itself around the city like a stole slipped away, and the glittering midtown skyline sparkled in the distance.
"I'm sorry I was right. I wish it coulda been different. I know how much you wanted to be.. you know…like a family."
"Anko told me the kind of man he was, but why would I believe her?" She said sadly. "I guess I got what I deserved. He treated me the same way he treated my mother."
"Maybe you should tell her that."
"I never knew what to say to her. I know even less now, but it's a moot point cause we lost touch almost fifteen years ago."
Although he wasn't convinced, Naruto decide to back off the Anko issue. "You need to get away for a while. It would do you good."
"I thought about it. But I couldn't even get enough steam to look at the travel sites.
"Suppose you didn't have to make any plans?"
"Like one of those horrible club things?"
"Club Naruto. But leave out the horrible part. Day after tomorrow I'm flying to Curacao. You remember, home of your favorite rum punch? I'm sailing my boat back to Boca. I figure the trip should be two, maybe three weeks, give or take. Come with me."
Hinata shook her head. "It sounds great… but…" 'We've almost ruined this friendship more than once. Two weeks on a boat? We'd be lucky to be speaking to each other when it's over.'
"There's lots of room, if that's what you're worried about. You'll bunk by yourself. No strings. Just sun, the sea, the salt air."
"I don't know anything about sailing."
"Its not a sailboat. You were aboard."
The only thing Hinata remembered was passing out. "I can't, Naruto. Really, But thanks."
"Don't think you can stand my company for that long?"
"That's not it. But I have to…"
"What? You can job hunt when you get back. I bet you can get on my flight." Hinata shook her head. The boat docked with a gentle thump. "You worried about money?"
"No! I have money. Why do all always thinks it's about money!"
"Who all? I just asked a simple question! Damn!"
"I'm sorry… It's what he asked me. Hiashi. How much money I wanted. It's a bad time for me, Naruto. I'm pretty lousy company right now, in case you haven't noticed. Besides, I have no time to prepare for a trip."
The anonymous tour guide wished the departing passengers a pleasant good night. Hinata and Naruto made their way past the terminal and headed up the block.
"You have two days, It's not like you need a damn evening gown. This isn't a cruise. Dressing for dinner means putting on shoes. Then again it might not."
"It sounds very nice, Naruto, but it's not a good idea. I'm expecting some calls and…"
"It sounds very nice, Naruto!" He mocked her. "You have to control everything, don't you? Your way or no way. Right, Hinata?" He turned to face her. "It wouldn't kill you to let someone do something for you, not that you need anyone. You never have."
He started walking again.
"Thats not true, Naruto, I.."
"Suit yourself. We'd probably kill each other." They walked to the corner in silence.
"We're going in opposite directions, let's take separate cabs." Hinata's tone was efficient, like she was leaving a business meeting. She waved at the stream of traffic headed towards her.
"No problem." A cab screeched to the curb. Naruto opened the passenger door. "Take the lady wherever she want." He handed the driver a fifty-dollar bill.
Before Hinata could protest, Naruto crossed the street. The taxi zigzagged in and out of traffic and she tried to get him out of her mind. 'Why do I always say the wrong thing?' Of all the people she had once cared about, or had ever cared for her, only Naruto remained. But instead of leaving her thoughts, Naruto was joined by Anko, Uncle Kizashi, Sakura and Aunt Mebuki, Hitomi, Hiashi. The uninvited guests piled into the taxi and followed her home.
'What if he was gone, too?' She fell asleep shivering under the blanket of her past, and when she work up, Hinata was still cold. She lay in bed staring through the open closet door at the dirty clothes that had long ago spilled out of the hamper. She rehashed her conversation with Naruto, trying to find fault with his observations. But she couldn't.
Angry at herself for wallowing in self pity and disgusted by the condition of her apartment, Hinata called her regular cleaning service. She straighten up enough so the place wouldn't scare them away. The rest of the morning she willed the telephone to ring. She wanted Naruto to call and ask her again. This time she'd say yes. But she knew he wouldn't.
AN: Thank you for reading, next chapter will continue with Hinata & Naruto.
