"The sky takes on shades of orange during sunrise and sunset, the color that gives hope that the sun will rise again."
It's for the best.
This is the mantra set on repeat, pounding in her skull.
It's for the best.
It's for the best.
He needs this.
That much is true.
Whether or not any of this is best is a laughable, ridiculous idea.
And she's a mess.
In every sense of the word.
Forty minutes into her work day, one of the nice mailroom ladies informed her that her shirt was inside out….and buttoned wrong.
She spent the next ten minutes in the bathroom splashing water on her face and trying (trying) to sort herself. Easier said than done when her mind was a whirlwind of distracted thoughts and worries.
Part of her still felt guilty for leaving Naruto at the hospital, but she knew the routine. They'd take him away from her for evaluation. Questioning whether or not he was a danger to himself, her or others, and on the flipside if he felt she was a danger to him.
So here she is.
At work. Staring at her bleary-eyed reflection and trying to keep her composure even as she felt like the world was tilting dangerously beneath her feet.
But not here.
Not really.
Her thoughts are with Naruto.
They always are.
She can't recall a time in recent memory when he wasn't first and foremost in her mind.
In every decision she makes.
In every choice.
He comes first.
She gets the call just before a team meeting. It's a courtesy call, really. They don't have to call her, but they do.
Naruto has checked himself out of the hospital.
Against advice. But they didn't feel he was an immediate danger to himself or anyone else, so there wasn't much they could do to hold him.
The rest of the team is filing into the conference room.
She knows she's letting them down, but she slips back into her office and quietly closes the door-immediately dialing Naruto.
He answers immediately. "Hey."
He sounds far too calm and chill-considering.
"Naruto, what are you doing?" She tries to keep her voice low. Every syllable feels like it's pushed between clenched teeth.
"It's okay, I'm fine," he promises in that same unconcerned voice.
He sounds so...normal. She has no idea why that makes her feel so ill at ease, but it does. "You need to go back. Right now." Hinata pleads with him.
She can hear the faint rumble of traffic in the background. "It wasn't working out. But it's not a big deal, I'm just going to go to Sasuke's until you get home."
Hinata resists the urge to slam her face into her desk. Sasuke's is the last place she wants him to be.
Ever.
"That is the worst thing that you could possibly do." She tries to keep the near frantic agitation from her voice, but fails miserably. In fact, she can see a few glances her way through her blinds.
"I'll come home as soon as you get off work."
She sees her team in the conference room. Shino is looking around-probably for her.
"Hina?"
She feels a bit like she's unraveling.
Her team was relying on her.
Naruto was relying on her.
She just-"I can't...I can't do this right now. I have a meeting. I'll call you after. Please. Naruto, listen to me. Please be careful. You are not okay right now."
"I will. I will. I promise." He hangs up before she can. Before she can convince him to go back.
She stares at the phone in her hand until someone knocks on her door.