Over the week Hinata had off, she and Neji had combed through every case Ino had dropped but found nothing. Hinata could tell something was missing in the files, but even in comparison to her files, she could tell there was information missing. The more they dug, the more Hinata became sure of that fact, which frustrated her.
After a day back at work without Ino, her suspicions only continued to grow. Ino hadn't said anything, so Hinata had been forced to tell everyone that she was taking a personal leave. Nothing else. They had no idea when she would be back, and no, she couldn't give out Ino's personal number to contact. All in all, she came home that evening more than frustrated with the day.
After she'd finished cooking dinner, Neji elected to show up on her doorstep again... looking for her baking, she assumed. No, probably also her leftovers. With a sigh, she beckoned him in, closing the door behind him. "Don't you have food at your place?" She asked, knowing her tone was sharper than usual.
Neji already had half a bite of cinnamon bun in his mouth before he spoke, raising his eyebrows at her. "Who spit in your coffee this morning?" Hinata was rarely, if ever, easily upset like this. "Also, you cook better than I do. I'd rather eat a meal than slop." Hinata raised an eyebrow and shook her head, moving to the kitchen to fix him a plate of dinner. She'd started to make extra purely out of habit for Neji's tendency to show up unexpectedly like this.
"I guess I'll take that." She set the plate down in front of him, rubbing her temples. "I'm sorry I'm snappy tonight. I just... I'm frustrated. Ino wasn't back today, so I couldn't ask her anything. On top of that, everyone's asking for her, so I'm forced to come up with excuses as to why she's not there and tell them that I can't give out her contact information, et cetera, et cetera." She packed the rest of the food into containers and put it in the fridge so she could take it to work tomorrow.
"In other words, even going into work means that we've got nowhere on this investigation." He was scarfing down the food so fast Hinata wondered if he'd even eaten today.
"No, and on top of that, Dr. Haruno and Detective Uchiha are gone. No one is saying anything in the office. Nothing. No word about them at all, not even from their friends. We're without a medical examiner until they find a replacement, which they've yet to do... Chief Hatake keeps saying that every candidate that comes across his desk just 'isn't qualified enough'." Hinata couldn't help but worry. She hadn't talked much with Sakura, but she knew the doctor was a good person.
Heaving another sigh, Hinata took a seat in her comfortable recliner and grabbed her laptop, popping it open to her documents and scrolling through. She pondered for a bit before picking one of her stories to work on, fingers clattering across the keyboard at almost insane speeds. Neji, at some point, made his way over to her couch, flopping down on it and grabbing the remote to watch television. Jeez, it felt like he lived here half the time, the way he opted to spend time with her. She didn't mind, though. He was at least an unobtrusive presence.
...Her phone ringing, on the other hand, was not unobtrusive. She pulled the caller ID up, wondering who'd be calling her at this time of night.
Naruto paced back and forth across his apartment, doing his best to summon every ounce of willpower and charm he had. He'd never had a problem asking girls out before, but Hinata? He... well, he couldn't explain it. There was something about her that had deterred him from asking her out. No... Deterred wasn't the right word. Hinata was cute, she was kind of pretty, but he knew so little about her. In fact, she seemed to seize up every time he talked to her, keeping things more professional than he'd ever expected.
Maybe that was it. Perhaps he just thought she was all business and no... relaxation. Could that be the reason he'd never asked her out before? It made sense. Maybe he'd have to ask Ino. She was more of an expert on these kinds of things. Damn it, why was this so hard? What was it about Hinata that made him so damn nervous about asking her?
Oh lord, he could already hear Ino's words in his head telling him to grow a pair and call her. He'd never live it down if he failed this part of their investigation. With another deep breath, he dialled her number, praying she was even still awake. He just needed to stay calm and relaxed. The line rung and rung and rung, and he was almost sure it was going to go to voicemail.
"Hello?" Her voice chimed over the line, much to his relief. Of all people, Hinata wondered why Naruto would be calling her this late; she wondered if it had something to do with the investigation and Ino's absence but doubted it. Neji seemed to perk up when she answered the phone, giving her a look; she waved him off, frowning at him. It wasn't any of his business, last she checked!
"Hey, Hinata." Oh, that sounded... He didn't even know how to describe it. His heart was racing, and he could feel his stomach twisting into knots. Nerves. That's what it was. "I was, uh, wondering if you're busy tomorrow night? I mean, I know things're busy around the office and all, but I was wonderin'." He didn't sound any better.
Hinata was surprised by his sudden forwardness. Neji gave her a look like he wanted to know who it was, and she frowned at him, mouthing that it was none of his business. She was on the verge of kicking him out if he was going to be this nosy.
"Oh, um, I mean... I-I don't think I am," Hinata stammered as she fumbled to open the calendar on her email. Neji staring at her wasn't helping how nervous she felt. This was Naruto they were talking about; she wouldn't have ever admitted it, but she'd had a crush on the detective ever since she'd started working there. He was just so warm and cheery; what wasn't to like about him?
"Oh yeah?" Naruto couldn't contain his excitement. His posture straightened as he tried to calm himself, but he was just about bouncing on the spot with excitement. "That's good, 'cause, uh, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to, I dunno, go out for dinner or something." Dinner. Ramen. Right. And no coupons, according to Ino. That was the best way to go about things.
Dinner, huh? Naruto wanted to take her out to dinner? Part of her was suspicious, but the other part was flustered. Neji noticed that and had moved closer, motioning for her to put it on speaker; she waved him away, snapping her laptop closed and giving him a look before moving to her bedroom. Better to be in private than be bothered by her cousin, whose curiosity seemed to be getting the better of him.
"Dinner? Um... yeah, I-I think I could make dinner work. What, um... What time were you thinking?" She had a pen and a paper pad out, ready to write down whatever time he suggested.
"Would six be okay?" Naruto was crossing his fingers, praying this would work. The more he talked to Hinata, the more he wanted to go on this date-and it had nothing to do with their investigation.
"Six sounds great," she replied. She wanted to ask if he meant it as a date, but no way in hell did she have the guts to ask that. Maybe depending on how things went, she'd figure it out, but as far as she knew, it was just dinner between colleagues who wanted to get to know each other better and be more than just... well, acquaintances.
"Okay! I'll pick you up around six, then." They said their goodbyes and hung up; Hinata let out the breath she'd been holding, taking a moment to process what happened. After taking that moment, she opened the door to see Neji standing in the hallway leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
"What was that all about?" His tone was demanding, enough that it annoyed Hinata a little. Since when was her love life any of his business? She shoved her phone into her pocket and strode past him, ignoring his question. It was absolutely none of his business. She picked up her laptop and set it on her lap, opening her document and typing away despite the noises of utter protest Neji made from the hallway. He even came out into the living room, standing in front of her expectantly.
"It's none of your business," Hinata said simply, not even bothering to look up from her document. She heard Neji draw in a deep breath, but she cut him off before he could protest. "I know you mean well, but it really isn't. If I want to tell you, I will." Neji was the last person she wanted to talk to about her love life. It was just... weird to speak to him about that. If anything, she would have talked to Ino, but that seemed impossible now. She felt like she was never going to talk to Ino again with how things were going. That being said, she knew she couldn't start to think like that. If she did, she'd end up wallowing.
"It seemed like an important phone call." Neji's eyes were narrowed at Hinata, but she wasn't taking it today. No. His overprotective personality wasn't going to fly today; she wasn't going to let him take the wind out of her sails with his usual nature.
"Not really. I need to finish and edit these chapters, so could you let me be for the night? I'll call you if I need anything." It was an easy excuse she could use, and though she could see the displeasure on his face, she was too happy about being asked out to care.
"Fine. I'll head home. I'm working early morning shifts this week anyway." His tone was grumpy as he pulled his shoes on. "Good night, Hinata."
"Night, Neji," she called, giving him a smile and a wave. She fought to keep her composure until he was out the door, setting her laptop aside as soon as he was gone and letting the situation sink in.
Naruto had asked her on a date. A dinner date. Her face turned red, and she pressed her palms to her cheeks, letting out a strained whine. Of all people to ask her, Naruto finally had. She couldn't care less that he'd dated just about everyone else around the office; the fact that he'd asked her period meant something.
Wait. What should she even wear? Oh, lord. Oh, boy. There was only one person she knew of that could help her out with that. She pulled out her phone and dialled, squeezing her eyes shut as the phone rang and rang and rang.
"Heeeeeeylo my dear darling sunny big sister~! How may I be of sisterly service to you?" Hanabi's way of answering the phone was always odd, especially when Hinata was the one calling.
"I need your help. I have, um... well, I uh, need some fashion advice, and I don't know who else to call." In other instances, she might have called Ino, but...
"Fashion advice, hmmm? As in a... hit the mall fashion advice?" Hanabi sounded intrigued.
"No, I mean a pick something out of my wardrobe fashion advice. Do you think you can help?" If Hanabi couldn't, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but her sister had good fashion sense, and she could certainly use it.
"Mmm... I'll see what I can do, Hina. Be there in a flash. Get your best ideas out, and I will be your judge!" The line hung up, and Hinata stood up, taking another deep breath.
It was time to root through her wardrobe and hopefully find something that was fitting for her date.