Author's Notes: Hello Lads and Lassies (boys and girls for those of you who are not knowledgeable of Scottish terminology) I was determined to beat the time set by the previous chapter, I don't think I've made it by much. I've just recently seen "DareDevil" So there is a possibility that you'll notice some similarities…maybe
Things that have been brought up: In chapter five, Naruto remembered when he was once attacked by a group of people, someone has pointed out that they shouldn't have because they wouldn't of known about Kyuubi. Well, I wrote that a group of guys attacked him, meaning people older than him who know of the events of Kyuubi. Hope this clears it up for anyone who was in confusion.
So here it is. Thank you for being so kind in your reviews, and especially for being honest.
By the way, someone could have told me I miss spelt "Centre" in the title (LOL!)
Enjoy!
Out of Sight, Centre of MindChapter nine – Becoming Routine…yeah right!
Naruto woke up in dire need of a bathroom. He slept easily but still felt tired. He noticed that his bed was very comfortable, but he didn't have much time to think about it as he felt the nagging feeling in his lower region and proceeded to leap out of his unusually large bed. Naruto used his mental map, like he was doing every morning, he quickly walked to where the door was. Naruto walked right into a wall. He clutched his nose in pain with his left hand and felt the wall with his right. He knocked on it and ran his hand across and came to one conclusion
"Someone's stolen my door" Naruto said to himself. He played back what he had just said in his mind, noticing how ridiculous it sounded. Slowly, piece by piece, the events of the day before sunk into place
"Riiiiiiiight. New apartment" He said to himself again. Until the sensations in his lower body reminded him of what he had to do
"Okay, didn't Hinata-chan say something about a bathroom?" Naruto said as he ran his hand across the walls, searching for a door, he made it about half way along the opposite wall when his hand ran over a lump on the wall, it felt like a doorframe
"Success" Naruto said as he entered. He activated his chakra-sense for the briefest moment so he could feel where the toilet was, after he located it, he discontinued it and had a seat. He didn't continue his chakra sense, so that he could train up his hearing. He knew he could use the chakra sense to fight and that was the important thing in Naruto's mind. He could just use his conventional senses to get around, plus Hinata was there to help him in the complex tasks.
Hinata was still in her bed…asleep, alleviating the exhaustion she felt the previous day. Even the knocks at her door by the servants went unanswered as Hinata slumbered
Naruto had just finished washing his hands and came back out feeling a lot more comfortable. Deciding that it would be a while before Hinata came around Naruto went back to bed, since he was still a bit tired. He climbed in and pulled over his silken covers and put his head down, but try as he may, Naruto just couldn't get back to sleep
"I hate waking up early" Naruto said to himself, not knowing that it was actually quite late in the morning
"Ah, well. Might as well get up" Naruto flung his legs out of the bed and stood up again. Then he went down on all fours to search for his clothes. The advantage of having a clean room was that you could find things. Naruto quickly found his clothes, luckily, all his clothes were in a pile where he threw them the night before. He would have preferred some clean ones but this would do. Naruto quickly dressed while he was still on the ground. After he had dressed, he stood up and stretched out the stiffness of sleeping. Now Naruto wondered what to do. He couldn't go back to bed, standing there wouldn't do anything of value, and Hinata wouldn't be around for a while
"I suppose I could try looking around my apartment" Naruto said "…who the hell am I talking to?"
Naruto stepped his way towards the bed and used it as his point of reference, he was determined not to use his chakra sense unless absolutely necessary. He tried to remember how Hinata brought him into the room the night before
"The door must be to the left of the bed. The bathroom is over in the corner of the room, so the door must be between here and there" Naruto repainted his mental map. It was amazing how much Naruto could remember when he isn't visually distracted. Naruto ran his hand across the wall in a similar fashion to before, taking into account where his bed was and approximately where the bathroom was. His hand hit something as he felt the wall, It was the door handle. Smiling at his own private victory he opened the door and proceeded into the main living area
"Might as well walk the perimeter" Naruto was smart enough not to walk unaided out into the middle of the room. Where he could trip and/or bang into something. He put his hand, once again, to the wall and walked, keeping a firm pressure on it so he had a bearing. The sensation of the wall felt kind of rough as if it had been painted in the past few days. Naruto shrugged it off, as it was irrelevant because of his inability to distinguish –among other things- colour. He took a few paces until his legs made contact with something hard but kind of soft. He assumed it was a couch and walked around it, leaning over so he could keep contact with the wall, He nudged a small table that was beside the couch and took note of it. Not far past the couch he found himself in the corner. Naruto turned and began exploring the second wall. His hand ran over a few large windows or possibly sliding in the process, though not much was on this wall aside from a small table. Positioned about in the middle. Another dozen or so steps past the table was another wall. On this wall was a radiator and what felt like coat hooks
'Fair enough, I probably wont be using them but it's good to know they're there' Naruto thought. Naruto turned once again and explored the third wall. There was actually a door on this one
"I'll ask Hinata-chan about it. I can't wait until she comes" Naruto was talking to himself again. A second door went under a feel of Naruto's hand a few paces past the first, he made another note to ask Hinata about the doors. But for the meantime added these landmarks to his map. A few more steps after, he came up against another wall. Naruto began tracing the final wall. He passed his front door that was near the corner of the room. As he felt along the wall he came across a large object up against the wall, it was tall enough and wide enough that Naruto had to let go of the wall and walk around it. He used his hand to try and give him an idea of what it was. The object was hollow at the front as his hand went inside it. Naruto's fingers were running across something very bumpy. It took him a second to realise that they were books, and the large thing was a bookshelf
"Very funny Obachan, giving books to me…I don't even like to read" Naruto said. He felt along the bookshelves, there was at least two of them pushed up close together and up in the corner of the room. After he passed the bookcases he found himself back at his bedroom door
"Okay, that wasn't a complete waste of time. But what can I do now?" Naruto said while thinking hard about what he could do. Naruto snapped his fingers as an idea came to mind
"I can look for my clean clothes, they must be around if Obachan had my possessions moved" Naruto walked into his room trying not to forget about where everything was in his apartment. Naruto once again traced the wall, this time, of his bedroom. Nothing much was on the walls except for his bed and the bathroom door. But approximately opposite Naruto's bed was a wardrobe.
"This makes things easier" Naruto opened the wardrobe and began feeling around. Most of his clothes were on hangers. He tried to distinguish what each piece of clothing was, He managed to pick out what felt like trousers. But he was still in need of a shirt and he couldn't find his jacket on the ground earlier.
Hinata's eyes finally opened. She blinked out all the remainder sleep and sat up, not realising how late it was. Figuring she had a lot of time, she slowly got out of bed and walked slowly over to her cupboard. Taking time to pick out what she wanted to wear, though most of her clothes looked the same to everyone else, to her they were unique in their own way. Hinata picked out some clothes that looked exactly the same than what she always wears. After she was dressed, Hinata quickly washed up, a quick brushing of the teeth, combing of the hair and washing of the hands. Hinata was feeling clean and refreshed. It was a perfect morning, perfect until she saw the time. Hinata checked her alarm clock, the clock in her private bathroom and the clock out in the corridor, each read 'half-past-eleven' Hinata was panicked. She quickly threw on her sandals and grabbed her headband as she ran out of her bedroom door
"How could I of slept so late?" Hinata asked herself as she ran through the empty corridors of the house. Not more than a minute after she had realised the time was she outside the estate and running towards Naruto's apartment. Hinata ran her absolute fastest. She arrived shortly after but stopped quite abruptly on the stairs when she remembered something
"Naruto-kun doesn't live here anymore" Hinata couldn't believe that she had forgotten about Naruto's new apartment. She laughed softly to herself at her own mistake. Hinata tried to remember where the Chuunin took them the night before. She traced back the steps in her mind. She had worked out where Naruto's apartment was and took off at a run. Hinata was determined not to be a minute later than she already was. Naruto's new home came into sight, much to Hinata's relief. She wasted no time in getting up the stairs and to his door. She quickly brought out the key ring that the Chuunin gave her. Using the only key on the ring she unlocked and opened the door
"Maybe Naruto-kun is still asleep" Hinata said hopefully as she tip-toed to Naruto's bedroom. She silently peeked inside. Hinata's eyes scanned the room before focusing on Naruto…in a state of undress, trying to pick out something to wear, oblivious to the shy blue-haired, red-faced girl at the door. She got quite an eyeful before retracting her head. Her eyes were wide, her face deep crimson and her knees weak. Hinata was speechless at seeing Naruto like that. She didn't have the concentration to think about anything else than what she had just saw
'Wow!' Hinata thought to herself before nearing a faint from the amount of blood that rushed to her face and threatened to escape through her nose. Hinata tried to calm her breathing before announcing her presence. And she took her time, the image of Naruto didn't seem to go away from her mind
"N-N…N-Naruto-kun?" She tried to sound like she had just arrived. She heard Naruto drop his clothes
"Hinata-chan? Don't come in, I'm getting changed. I'll be out in a minute" She heard Naruto's voice. Hinata heard Naruto speed up his efforts but she was still struggling for simple thought, no matter what she tried to think about, it always came back to Naruto and his lack of clothing.
"O-Okay Naruto-kun, take your t-time" Hinata said. She decided to have a seat and sat at the dining room sized table in the middle of the room and tried to banish all thought from her mind. Naruto eventually emerged from his room wearing his normal clothes except from his jacket, though Hinata didn't seem to notice the passage of time
"Hinata-chan?" Naruto signalled. Hinata, at hearing her own name jumped with a squeak of surprise
"N-Naruto-kun?"
"Sorry to keep you waiting, I had a bit of trouble" Naruto explained as he walked towards where he heard Hinata
"I-It's okay" Hinata said. Naruto noticed the stutter and was curious
"Something wrong? It's been a while since you talked to me like that" Naruto said grinning. Hinata stood up and faced Naruto
"Nothing's wrong" Hinata insisted, Naruto wondered but didn't dwell
"Well then, let's have a look around" Naruto said. Hinata nodded and walked forward then took his arm. Hinata was about to describe the apartment when Naruto began talking
"Oh! And before I forget" Naruto said no more as he gave Hinata a quick but loving kiss. Unexpected but welcomed by Hinata "…Good morning Hinata-chan" Hinata was a bit thrown off by the kiss but managed to return the greeting
"Good afternoon, Naruto-kun" she said
"Afternoon? How long did I take getting changed?" Naruto asked, shocked that so much time could have passed
"Naruto-kun, you didn't take too long. It was me who was late, I slept in" Hinata admitted
"Oh right, well don't worry about it" Naruto said "…You're here now and that's the important thing" Hinata smiled and blushed cutely
"Thank you" Hinata said happily
"Now, I need to know where everything is in this apartment" Naruto changed the subject
"Oh right. Well, I'll help you" Hinata was mildly disappointed from the change but didn't show it
"I already had a feel around the room and I know that there's a couch there" Naruto pointed to the couch up against the wall "…a small table there" He pointed to the table near the windows "…some coat hooks and two doors along that wall" Naruto waved his hand to point to the whole of the wall "…and over there is a bookcase for some reason" He pointed towards the bookshelves near his bedroom door" Hinata decided not to say anything about how Naruto didn't point directly at each item he was talking about, this was a result from the combination of forgetfulness and lack of sight
"Okay, Naruto-kun. In the middle of the room is a fairly large table, it is surrounded by chairs, most likely; this is for dining purposes" Hinata described as best she could. She couldn't help think that she sounded like a tour guide "…those doors lead to a bathroom and a kitchen" Hinata said, referring to the mysterious doors that Naruto was wondering about
"I have two bathrooms?" Naruto said in disbelief "…pretty nice, maybe Obachan is being kind to me for once" Hinata stifled a laugh as she once again inspected the colour of the room. This went beyond the notice of Naruto. Hinata began walking Naruto over to the kitchen
"I really like your apartment, Naruto-kun" Hinata said
"Yeah! I like it too, it's bigger than my last one" Hinata walked into the kitchen with Naruto. It was small but it would serve its purpose
"It's a small kitchen, not much space but it will be able to cook a fine meal in capable hands" Hinata explained "If you are ever in here without me, then use that special sense. You could hurt yourself if you're not careful"
"Okay, Okay. I'll be careful" Naruto leaned his head into Hinata in a uniquely cute way that could be described in itself as 'Naruto'. Hinata smiled as he nudged her with his head
"You want to go for a walk? My joints are aching" Naruto said
"Okay, Naruto-kun" Hinata turned Naruto around and lead him out of the kitchen, through the main room and out the front door onto the walk-way that lead to other people's apartments. She quickly but carefully guided Naruto down the stairs and out onto the street
"Where do you wasn't to go?" Hinata asked. Naruto thought about it
"Lets just go for a walk about, maybe we'll meet up with the others" Naruto said
"Okay then" Hinata replied
Naruto and Hinata simply walked. Hinata would turn down a street at random and Naruto was grateful for a chance to stretch his legs. Naruto's memory reminded him of the question he was meaning to ask Hinata
"Hinata-chan? Are you going to be training again today?" Naruto didn't like the idea of going another day without Hinata
"Not today, Naruto-kun. But I will have to tomorrow, My teacher told me to rest for today, so that I am at my optimum" Hinata said. Naruto's face was stricken with disappointment. Hinata giggled at this, and blushed at the fact that Naruto would miss her. It made her feel…wanted
"It's not going to be for all day, Naruto-kun" Hinata explained
"Yeah, I know but I still have to find someone to go around with tomorrow, and I really don't want to have to go around with ero-sennin again" Naruto shuddered at the memory
"Why not?" Hinata asked. Naruto thought about how he should respond
"Put it this way: He didn't pay me a lot of sympathy" Naruto said "…I suppose I could just get Sakura-chan to help me" Naruto said
"Are you sure…she did blow up at you yesterday, she even slapped you!" Hinata hadn't completely forgiven Sakura for that action. She was one of her best friends so Hinata could never hold a grudge against her but she was still slightly angry at her
"I'll be fine, She did apologise to me" Naruto reminded
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I just thought it was really selfish of Sakura-chan to hate you for it. She may of lost her father, but she wasn't the only one to lose someone. My aunt was killed in that attack" Hinata said sorrowfully
"Sorry" Naruto felt remorseful
"It's alright. I wasn't even born at the time of the attack so I never knew her, but I wish that I did. Father once told me of her when I was younger, how she was the kindest, sweetest sister a person could have. A part of me wished that I could have met her. I think we could of gotten along really well" Hinata said, a tear forming at what could have been. Naruto shifted his arm from her hand to her opposite shoulder so he could bring her closer to him
"I'm really sorry you never had a chance like that, Hinata-chan, I know how you feel" Naruto said. Hinata looked at Naruto
"What were your parents like, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. The question in itself surprised Naruto. This was a question he had never been asked
"I don't have parents" Naruto said his voice neutral
"You must have had parents, you can't have just appeared out of nowhere" Hinata said, this put a hint of a smile on Naruto's lips
"I have no idea who my parents were. I haven't a thing that suggests that I had parents. Not a photo, not a journal not even a mention of the name 'Uzumaki' in the reference books in the library" Naruto explained, Hinata felt guilty for bringing up this subject
"I think the Third removed all traces of any family I might have to protect their reputation" Naruto said "…I guess that they were killed in the Kyuubi's attack" Hinata nodded. She had never been told anything of Naruto's past, so she had no idea that he had been alone all of his life. Hinata cursed her own nervousness, if she had approached Naruto when they were younger then she would have saved him from any more loneliness
"I'm sorry" Hinata apologised
"It's alright" Naruto replied with his grin
"No it's not! If I had become friends with you sooner then you wouldn't have had to grow up alone. I had always guessed that someone was there for you" Hinata said, tears were threatening to fall and her voice was on the verge of breaking. Naruto used his hand that was on Hinata's shoulder and brought it up past her neck and to her jaw so that he was cupping one side of her face in one hand. Hinata leaned her face into his hand
"You shouldn't worry about these things Hinata-chan, I turned out alright" Naruto said "…but you know something? You actually saved my life once, whether you knew or not" Naruto said
"I-I did?" Hinata was confused. Naruto nodded
"You remember a few weeks ago? I found you in an alley way on the ground" Naruto reminded Hinata, like she could forget
"Y-Yes" It was one of Hinata's more painful memories
"Well, that night I had plans to kill myself" Hinata stopped moving and grabbed both of Naruto's arms so that they were face to face
"What?" Hinata didn't want to believe what Naruto was telling her
"The pain was unbearable, I realised that I didn't have a chance in hell with Sakura-chan. I felt alone, heartbroken even. I couldn't believe how much it hurt. I thought that suicide would be the painless way out. But…things didn't go according to plan, the kunai that I was going to use to end my life wouldn't even be able to cut a piece of thread. Before I could have another 'stab' at it, I found you. Your beautiful smile alone was enough to make me feel good about myself again. The following morning I felt like hitting myself for even considering killing myself. But, if I hadn't found you on that night, I really would have killed myself" Naruto explained. Hinata felt the tears come, she had actually saved his life, her life did have meaning
"N-Naruto-kun? That night, the same thing happened to me" Hinata said in almost disbelief "… I was going to end my life on that night as well, until you found me. You made me feel good about myself on that night, like someone did care for me" Hinata explained. She had never told anyone this before, it felt good to get it off her chest
"Whoa. That was lucky, wasn't it?" Naruto said "…both of us meeting on the same night, with the same intentions to kill our selves and we save each other's lives" Hinata managed a smile and embraced Naruto in a hug. Naruto returned it
"If someone ever tells you that you're no good, if someone asks you 'what would be different if you were never born?' then you can say that you saved a life of someone important to you" Naruto said while gentle rocking Hinata from side to side. Hinata tightened her grip on the hug. They half broke the hug so that Naruto had his right arm around Hinata's shoulders and Hinata had her left arm around Naruto's waist so she could guide him better. Hinata began walking forward, feeling a lot happier than before.
The couple were happy to just walk, they talked about whatever came to mind, Naruto had been talking about training with Jiraiya and about how he learned the Rasengan. Hinata was more than happy to remain quiet and listen, it was what she did best. Naruto proceeded to describe how he fought the traitor Kabuto and won the necklace from Tsunade
"You won a necklace?" Hinata asked
"Yes, look…" Naruto pulled the cord around his neck so that it was over his shirt. Hinata took a closer look, admiring how beautiful it looked "…Tsunade gave this to me because she acknowledged that I could become Hokage. I proved it to her by mastering the Rasengan in a week" Naruto explained
"Wow" Hinata said simply
"Yeah I know, It looks so cool doesn't it?" Naruto said as he rubbed the necklace with his thumb
"No, that you called Hokage-sama by her name for once" Hinata smiled. Naruto laughed softly as well "…but yes. It does look very nice, it looks good on you" Hinata returned to having her arm around Naruto's waist. Naruto was once again telling of a mission but he was cut short when he sensed something
"Hinata-chan? It feels like we're being followed" Naruto said as he strained his ears to give him some kind of clue
"I thought you weren't using the chakra-sense" Hinata was confused as to how Naruto could sense someone
"No, I'm not using it. I just have the feeling, you know the one, when you feel like you're being watched" Hinata was about to answer when a figure jumped down from the rooftop of one of the buildings
"It's about time you noticed, idiot!" Sasuke said as he approached his friend
"What do you want now, Sasuke" Naruto relied "…and where's Sakura-chan"
"What makes you think I know that" Sasuke said unfazed
"The pair of you seem to be closer…than before" Naruto grinned deviously. Beads of sweat rolled down Sasuke's face before being wiped away quickly
"I'm allowed to talk with my team mate" Sasuke said sounding slightly defensive. Naruto took note of the normally unnoticeable tone in Sasuke's voice and felt very proud of himself
"So she is around" Naruto enquired. Veins stood out on Sasuke's face though he made no sound to give a clue to Naruto, He forced himself to stay calm
"Yeah, she'll catch up in a minute" Sasuke said as innocently as possible
"You wanna tell me why you're following us?" Naruto enquired, liking how the 'us' sounded
"Just making sure you're on your toes, I wouldn't want you to get too relaxed, Idiot" Sasuke said
"I have a name, you know?" Naruto's patience was wearing thin
"Yeah, I am calling you by your name" Sasuke inwardly grinned, he derived a lot of pleasure in pissing Naruto off. Naruto clenched his fist, ready to punch out. He did however restrain himself.
"Sasuke-kun! Don't annoy Naruto like that!" Sakura's stern voice came from behind them. Hinata turned her head to see Sakura walking up the street with a friendly smile at seeing Hinata. Sakura drew up beside Naruto, a bit of a guilty smile lingering on her lips
"Hi Naruto" She said softly. Hinata did not take her eyes off Sakura
"Hey! What's up Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked cheerfully
"Nothing much, we were just out for a walk until we saw you two" Sakura said. She leaned her head forward so she could get a better look at Hinata
"Hi Hinata-chan. Naruto told me about you two, Congratulations I'm so happy for you" Sakura said grinning
"Thank you Sakura-chan" Hinata said, unable to sense any hostility or negativity aside from guilt. Hinata now believed that Sakura wouldn't do anything of harm to Naruto, and so, relaxed
"So where are you guys going?" Sakura asked
"Nowhere, just out for a stroll. We spent the morning looking around my new apartment" Naruto said
"New apartment? So you couldn't go back to your old one?" Sakura asked
"No, The land lady decided not to let me stay anymore. Probably for the best, too many people know where I live" Naruto said. Hinata nodded sadly remembering the vandalism "…I can't count how many times Kakashi-sensei just appeared without a moment of notice, trying to force those nasty vegetables on me" Hinata smiled at herself for getting the wrong end of the stick
"It's for your own good, Naruto" Sakura stated. Naruto grumbled something to himself
"Hey Sasuke! Can I have a word?" Naruto asked, letting go of Hinata and walking towards where he heard Sasuke's voice come from. Naruto could hear his breathing, the crunch of the dirt path beneath his feet, so he could easily tell where Sasuke was
"What about?" Sasuke asked. Sakura used the time to her advantage and pulled Hinata away to talk to her
Sasuke was listening to whatever Naruto had to say
"Sasuke, I didn't hear what you had to say about Kyuubi, you cant just be carefree" Naruto asked seriously
"I was surprised, yes. But it made clear to me why you were hated. The Kyuubi did take some of my family away from me but I'm not angry at you for carrying the demon" Sasuke explained
"What about your brother, he took away your family and you want to kill him. Kyuubi did the same but you haven't tried to rip it out of me to fight it" Naruto knew he was treading on thin ice when talking about Sasuke's brother
"My family members who died fighting the Kyuubi, died for a reason. They died with honour, with purpose. When Itachi slaughtered my clan, it was without reason, without honour. He robbed them of a proper death, this is one of the reasons I wish to kill him. I do not wish to kill you for the Demon's mistake. Besides that, I'm smart enough to realise that you had no say in the matter" Sasuke explained, feeling anger bubble within him at talking about Itachi and the end of the Uchiha
"Thanks Sasuke" Naruto said, happy that Sasuke did not hate him
Sakura had pulled Hinata off to the side to talk to her, she had been itching to talk about Her and Naruto since the day before and because Ino had left on a mission, Sakura had no one to gossip. Hinata allowed herself to be pulled along seeing that Naruto was talking to Sasuke
"Come on Hinata-chan! How do you feel? Is Naruto a good boyfriend?" Sakura asked eagerly. Hinata should have seen this coming
"I l-love him" Hinata said seriously but quietly. Sakura grinned
"I don't remember you saying anything about love to us before" Sakura almost drooled at the gossiping potential "…is he a good kisser?" Hinata blushed heavily
"I-I don't know, it feels r-really nice but I have no one else to make a comparison" Hinata told. Sakura suddenly remembered that and cursed herself for asking that question
"Soooo…does he use his tongue?" Sakura asked, grinning to all hell. Hinata wore a crimson blush at the sudden question
"w-wh-what?" Hinata shakily responded
"I'll take that as a no" Sakura said, still grinning. Hinata couldn't believe the question that she was just asked
'Use our t-tongues? Was she serious?' Hinata thought to herself. She had heard of such things but never considered them to be something that she would ever experience
"Well, I'm just happy that you two got together. It's about goddamn time is all I can say" Sakura said shrugging her shoulders. Hinata forced a smile through her blushing face
"Hey! Don't push me!" Naruto's voice sounded, causing Hinata to jump slightly. Sakura laughed to herself at the shy girl. Sasuke had pushed Naruto forward towards the girls. He -like Jiraiya- didn't want to guide Naruto around by the arm and stuck with pushing him
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata approached the disorientated Loud Mouth
"Yeah? Oh right" Naruto approached Hinata's voice and waited for her to make the first move. Hinata carefully slipped her arm around Naruto, he in turn put his arm around her. As they were before
"Hey! Where you guys going now?" Naruto asked
"We have…something to do together" Sakura answered carefully. Hinata looked at both Sasuke and Sakura. It didn't take her long to figure it out. She noticed the facial expressions and the wandering eyes looking at everything but each other. Hinata was happy for her friend but kept her words to herself, realising that if Sakura didn't tell her, then it was for a good reason. Naruto on the other hand had no eye for insight, no sight at all would be a better description and therefore couldn't see the actions of the two. Naruto being Naruto, further pried into business that was not his own
"Really? What do you have to do? Is it another mission from Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. Sakura and Hinata exchanged glances
"No. There are no missions for today" Sakura answered
"So what could you two possibly do together?" Naruto was overcome with curiosity, but lacking the mind to piece it together. Fortunately Hinata interrupted Naruto before he asked another question
"We'll…I'll see you later" Hinata said, feeling stupid for making the mistake. She looked at Naruto, but he didn't seem to mind
"Catch you later" Sakura said as she quickly departed with Sasuke, Leaving Naruto and Hinata alone once more
"They left in quite a hurry…makes you think" Naruto said as he rubbed his chin. Hinata chose to say nothing as she began walking with Naruto
As before, they walked, enjoying each other's company. Hinata was wondering something as Naruto walked
"Naruto-kun? Are you going to tell the other 'rookie nine' and Neji-nii-san's team about…" Hinata softly rubbed Naruto's belly
"If we meet up with them, I'll tell them, but the important people to tell were Sakura-chan, Sasuke and you. It isn't absolutely necessary for them to know, but they are my friends so I'll tell them" Naruto explained. Hinata nodded
"They do care about you Naruto-kun, even if they don't show it. I know for certain that they would give their lives for you…even Kiba-kun" Hinata said, reassuring her boyfriend
"Really?" Naruto asked, feeling grateful for having such good friends
"We all acknowledge you. We all know that you are destined for greatness" Hinata said
"Thanks, it's good to hear that every once in a while" Naruto smiled happily, strengthening his grip around Hinata. Hinata blushed slightly at the feeling of Naruto's thin shirt and jacketless top. Of course her thoughts trailed back to the morning when she walked in on Naruto getting changed. Her small, innocent blush turned into a crimson flame on her face. She made no noise as they walked while she tried to calm herself. This proved to be difficult as Hinata could not unlock her thoughts
"Who do you think I should tell first, then" Naruto asked the red faced girl. Hinata's face paled ever so slightly at the question
"Uhmm, I-It's up to you but you could try telling Shikamaru-kun if you have any doubts that your friends won't understand. O-Or you could tell everyone at once" Hinata suggested. Naruto nodded
"I suppose I could get Shikamaru to rally everyone up, he's lazy but he's reliable. I'll tell everyone at once, get it out in the open" Naruto said "…only problem is finding the lazy bum" Hinata had a thought of where he might be
"I think I know where Shikamaru-kun is" Hinata replied timidly. Naruto was confused but decided to go with it
"Okay, lead on" Naruto said. Hinata turned down a street that led to the small shopping area. Naruto was curious as to how Hinata knew where Shikamaru might be. He noticed that the sounds of people increased, signalling to him that they were entering a higher population area
"How do you know where Shikamaru is, Hinata-chan?" Naruto couldn't stand it. Being the curious boy that he was, he wanted to know
"I think he might be with Ino-chan" Hinata said, emphasising that she only thought, not that she knew for sure. Naruto looked very confused
"That doesn't make any sense" Naruto shook his head "…Shikamaru being with the loudest, 'troublesome' girl in all of Konoha" Hinata wasn't completely sure if she should tell Naruto the news, and just decided to delay it
"You'll soon find out, Naruto-kun" Hinata said. Not long after Hinata stopped talking, she stopped Naruto in front of a shop, the Yamanaka flower shop. Naruto noticed the scent of various different flowers. He was sure that anyone who had hay fever would be unable to breathe whilst going past. Naruto felt Hinata begin to move again, this time towards the direction of the flower scent. Shortly after, he heard the sound of a bell, the bell that signifies the opening of a door to a shop. Naruto's curiosity was growing in leaps and bounds
"Welcome!" Naruto heard the loud voice of Ino, welcoming them into the shop "…Hinata-chan! Good to see you! Sakura told me about 'you know what' I'm so happy for you" Ino squealed as she ran around the counter and engulfing Hinata in a hug. Naruto staggered off to the side because Hinata lost her grip on Naruto due to the force at which Ino hugged Hinata. Hinata could barely move, Ino's grip was so tight
"I-Ino-chan" Hinata patted Ino's shoulders to try and get her to let go. Eventually, when Ino had hugged all but the life out of Hinata, she relinquished the shy girl
"And you!" Ino turned to Naruto "…treat her right" Ino said as she pushed her fist across Naruto's lower jaw gently
"You know I will!" Naruto declared seriously. Ino smiled at Hinata with admiration
"Hinata-chan chose well" Ino said to herself "…anyways, what do the pair of you want?" Naruto was reminded of the reason they were there in the first place. Hinata moved to Naruto's side and put her arm around him, Naruto mirrored
"I just need a quick word" Naruto said. Ino listened "…you know where Shikamaru is?" Ino looked curious but didn't dally, she turned her head and shouted into the back of the shop
"HEY! SHIKA-KUN!" Ino yelled. Hinata and Naruto covered their ears from the loudness of it. The lazy Chuunin slouched out of the door behind the counter, hands deep thrust in his pockets. He wasn't wearing his Chuunin vest, in place of it was an apron, he wasn't too keen on being seen in it. But taking into account that Naruto couldn't see and Hinata was too polite to say anything, he decided it was safe to come out
"not so loud" Shikamaru said softly as he walked around the counter towards Ino. As Shikamaru pulled up beside Ino, she suddenly latched onto his arm. Shikamaru rolled his eyes but made no attempt to prise the girl off him. Hinata concealed an amused smile at seeing this. Ino rested her head on Shikamaru's shoulder
"Naruto wants a word" Ino said sweetly. Shikamaru sighed
"Yeah…a word, listen, I need you to round up everyone, Fuzzy Eyebrow's team, our teams, you know" Naruto explained, he heard the actions of Ino and wondered silently
"okay" Shikamaru said, earning him a surprised look from Hinata and an amazed expression from Naruto, but a tightening on his left arm from Ino, and it wasn't in the affectionate way
"Shika! we have plans" Ino's voice dripped with venom, her nails began digging into his arm
"Plans?" Naruto took no more, he wanted to know what was going on. Hinata knew precisely
"Shika and I are going to have a late-lunch together" Ino answered not turning her head from the sweating Shikamaru
"Together? Lunch together, you two…together?" Naruto was piecing things together as he usually does "…YOU'RE A COUPLE! How the hell did that happen?" Naruto laughed
"Troublesome Naruto" Shikamaru turned his head from Naruto to the girl digging her claws into his flesh "…troublesome girl" Shikamaru barely finished his line when the pressure on his arm increased ten-fold
"I-If girls are so troublesome, then why did you ask I-Ino-chan out?" Hinata stuttered, even although Hinata considered Shikamaru a friend, she was slightly intimidated by his intelligence
"I didn't" Shikamaru answered, he cast a gaze at Ino, who instantly blushed and released her grip. Hinata forgot herself and laughed out loud, much to Ino's discomfort
"What? What is it?" Naruto asked eagerly, feeling left out. Hinata's laughs softened into giggles
"Ino-chan… asked Shikamaru-kun out" Hinata said. Naruto knew he shouldn't laugh, but that didn't stop him. Shikamaru and Ino turned their stares at Naruto. The blind ninja's hysterical laughs died into nervous ones as he felt the killer eyes on him and the deadly aura in the room. Shikamaru disliked being the butt of someone's laughter. He surrendered his post as lazy at this point to walk over and bonk Naruto across the head. Naruto jumped in surprise before clutching the small bump on his head
"ow!" Naruto pouted. Hinata guiltily decided that Naruto deserved that
"You ain't in any position to laugh" Shikamaru said before turning to Naruto's companion "…How long have you liked Naruto, Hinata?" Hinata blushed
"Point taken" Naruto grumbled. Shikamaru turned around and went back over to Ino
"When do you want to meet everyone?" Shikamaru asked, without turning his head
"Shikaaaaa! Ino groaned. He just rolled his eyes
"It wont take that long. When?" Shikamaru said. Naruto shrugged his shoulders
"Whenever. Tonight sometime? About seven?" Naruto suggested "…I don't know where we could meet though" Shikamaru rolled his eyes once more
"Uhmm, my f-father is out on business tonight, we could go to the Hyuuga estate?" Hinata shyly put forward. Shikamaru looked toward Naruto to find his answer
"Yeah that sounds good" Naruto said, nodding his approval "…I trust you'll rally the troops, Shika" Naruto grinned, Shikamaru simply muttered a "whatever" Naruto knew he would do it
"Find N-Neji-nii-san first, get everyone to meet him tonight then he'll take them to the house" Hinata said
"Okay. Come on Ino, let's go" Shikamaru said as he was about to walk out of the shop, Ino stopped him
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Ino asked grinning. Hinata smiled also
"I'll kiss you later, not in front of other people" Shikamaru said, eager to get away
"No, I mean your attire" Ino said looking up and down Shikamaru. He followed her eyes and smacked himself on the forehead when he realised. He swiftly yet lazily went in the back of the shop, he emerged minus the apron, plus his Chuunin vest
"See you tonight" Shikamaru called as he and Ino departed
After Ino and Shikamaru had left, Naruto and Hinata began making tracks. Naruto was contemplating his decision
'Should I tell everyone? It's not like it's essential for them to know…But they're my friends, If I don't tell them, then I have no right to call them that'
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata saw that Naruto was deep in thought, she knew that he was thinking about what he had to do
"It's nothing" Naruto shook off the enquiry. Hinata had a concerned look on her face but didn't press. Instead she took hold of Naruto's arm and brought it from his side to around her shoulders, she in turn leaned into Naruto's side but not so much that it disorientated him, Hinata kept her arm in place around his waist. Naruto wore a happy smile, Hinata was just happy to walk as they were, she felt safe and secure. Not that she felt endangered and insecure, but being with Naruto and being in his embrace re-enforced these feelings
"Hinata-chan? Do you mind if we go and sit down somewhere, my legs are beginning to ache" Naruto asked, feeling aches developing in his knees
"Okay" Hinata looked around for a place, they were still on the shopping promenade so there wouldn't be a shortage of benches. Hinata and Naruto walked down the street, they came to the heart of the retail streets. It was a large circular junction that connected all the streets with shops on them. In the middle was a magnificent fountain, there were one or two children throwing coins into the pool while water was being blasted upwards by the statue of the large frog in the middle of the fountain. This statue was made in the honour of the frog that combated Kyuubi almost thirteen years before. Along the edge of the circular junction were benches…or rather one long continuous bench running along the circumference, breaking only at the streets that lead out. Hinata lead Naruto over to a space on the large bench. It was mid-afternoon and there were a lot of people out and about, doing some shopping. It was difficult for Hinata to find a space on the bench but she found one. As Hinata and Naruto approached the space on the bench grew. When they were actually sitting down the space had grown so that there was about three meters on either side of Hinata and Naruto. Hinata noticed this and was slightly angered, the space had grew because the people who were on the bench didn't want to be seated next to the 'demon child'
Once they had sat down Naruto let off a sigh and began rubbing his sore legs
"My legs are killing me" Naruto complained, Hinata smiled and looked around. When he didn't hear any acknowledgment Naruto pushed on the conversation
"Do you enjoy your training, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked. Hinata looked at Naruto and thought for a second
"I wouldn't say it's fun, but the rewards far outweigh the discomfort" Hinata explained, in truth she was still in pain from her training session but this was nothing more than a dull ache if she moved
"Yeah. Hey, after I get my sight back, we can spar against each other, I can see how strong you've become" Naruto said excitedly. Hinata opened her mouth to correct Naruto about his sight returning but cut herself off short, she didn't wish to make him feel bad
"Okay, I look forward to it" Hinata encouraged
'She's really sweet, She truly cares for my feelings. I couldn't be luckier to be with her' Naruto thought with a grin
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata noticed the mile-wide smile and was curious
"Oh…It's nothing" Naruto shook it off "…well, my legs feel better now, wanna get going?" Hinata smiled and stood up, helping Naruto to his feet in the process. They began to walk when suddenly stopped Naruto stopped
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata cocked her head
"Shh" Naruto politely shushed her as he was straining to hear something. Hinata wondered but kept quiet
'I wonder if it is Lee-san again' Hinata thought, remembering two days ago to the ramen stand and the infamous fight that followed. She looked around, wondering who Naruto could hear this time but there was a lot of people around so she couldn't pick out anyone who she knew. Hinata was surprised, even amazed that Naruto would be able to clearly hear anyone in a crowd of people like this. Not long after, Naruto brought his head up
"You would think that in a village the size of Konoha you wouldn't run into the same people time and time again" Naruto said, Hinata nodded and was about to verbally agree before she was cut off
"HEY NARUTO!" Came Sakura's always-loud voice. Hinata turned to look, clearly she had gone shopping since they met her earlier, she was carrying a small bag. Sakura jogged up to Naruto and Hinata
"Hello Sakura-chan, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked
"Oh, me and Sasuke-kun went shopping after we met you guys earlier" Sakura explained motioning behind her without looking. Hinata leaned to the side to look behind Sakura
"Where is he now?" Hinata asked, unable to see the Uchiha. Sakura turned around and did not see a trace of Sasuke. A vein popped out on her forehead
"I'll kill him!" Sakura fumed
"I thought you two had something to do together after you left us" Naruto said. Sakura turned to look at her teammate
"We did, but we changed our plans" Sakura said. Naruto raised an eyebrow
"Just what is the situation between you and Sasuke? You two seem almost inseparable" Naruto pried into business that did not belong to him
"To be honest Naruto, I don't know. He doesn't seem to mind when I am near him, He doesn't resist when I slip my hand into his. But there haven't been any words or actions to confirm what our relationship is, be it friends or something more" Sakura explained
"Well, if you're waiting for Sasuke to make the first move then you are in for a long wait, when have you ever known Sasuke to express his feelings" Naruto pointed out
"That's probably the reason why Ino-chan made the first move" Hinata said, confusing Sakura
"Excuse me?" Sakura asked, Hinata shifted her gaze and did her best to avoid the question, she had assumed that Ino would have told Sakura
'then again…for Ino-chan to admit that she asked Shikamaru-san out might embarrass her' Hinata thought. Sakura saw the shifting eyes and the deep thought processes that was going on in Hinata's mind and realised that she was not going to say anything more on that subject
'I'll just get Ino to tell me later' Sakura thought
"So anyway, we were going to get some lunch but then I had an idea to go shopping. Sasuke grudgingly agreed, we found something that we decided that we had to get" Sakura explained "…soon after that, we ran into Ino and Shikamaru and they told us about tonight. Are you going to tell them?" Naruto nodded
"I sorta need you and Sasuke there to back me up" Naruto said
"Sure Naruto, we'll be there" Sakura reassured "…oh! And before I forget, here!" Sakura handed the small bag she was carrying to Naruto. She held it for about five seconds in front of Naruto, before she smacked her overly large forehead
"What?" Naruto was oblivious to the bag being held out to him
"Hold out you're hand Naruto" Sakura said, Naruto did as he was told and Sakura put the bag in his hand
"What's this?" Naruto asked happy to receive a gift. He felt it. It was kind neither thick, nor thin and it felt short as well. Naruto found an opening to the bag and brought out what was inside, it gave him a better feeling
'It feels like four thick bars joined together in a square' Naruto thought as Naruto explored the item. Sakura and Hinata watched with both patience and fascination. Naruto rotated the item, then felt a rubber surface on one of the bars
'It feels like rubber, it feels nice' Naruto ran his hand down that bar, after the rubber ended he felt a small bump, he pressed it with his thumb. The bump pushed into the bar with a click. Naruto felt the item come loose. He held it from the rubber bar and held it out. Naruto herd a few more clicks and felt a few vibrations after he did this. He was confused and brought the item back down to further examine it but found that he couldn't bring it down any further, from the rubber surface he was holding he couldn't bring it down past the bottom of his chest. An idea surfaced in Naruto's mind, He held the item at a distance with his right hand and angled the palm of his left at the now long single bar. Naruto used his chakra sense and scanned the item
'Damn, I'm getting rusty, I've gotta use this more often' Naruto thought, the image he was receiving of the item wasn't as clear as before. He did as best as he could to understand it
'Wow, it's a long bar now, it has three joints that connect the four bars, it's about chest height' Naruto described to himself
"What is it?" Naruto asked
"It's a cane" Sakura declared "…you use it to feel your way around"
"Okay, I've already got a way though" Naruto said
"Yeah but you can't use that sixth sense thingy all the time, right?" Sakura pointed out
"No, I meant Hinata-chan" Naruto grinned "…but yeah, thanks this could be useful, at least until I get a hang of this 'sixth sense'…or would it be a fifth sense, since I lost one" Naruto pondered
"O-kay, I've got to go and find Sasuke-kun. I'll see you two tonight" Sakura waved and walked away. Naruto assumed that to collapse the cane he would just have to press the button again, he did so and it made another collection of clicks. Naruto nodded in approval as he folded it up again
'Where could I put it?' Naruto wondered. An idea struck him, he quickly removed the Kunai that were in his leg holster and put them in his ninja pouch. With his kunai holder empty, Naruto put his folded cane into the space, it was a tight fit put it didn't pose a problem. Once Naruto had put it in, he barely felt it, for it was so light
"I'll practise with it later, I might take someone's eye out if I use it in this crowded place" Naruto said
"Okay. Where do you want to go now?" Hinata asked
"Why don't we get something to eat, you can pick where we eat this time" Naruto said "…so long as it's not a salad bar, though"
"No, of course not" Hinata giggled
Hinata led Naruto to a small café that she usually went to with her team. She walked inside with Naruto and sat down at one of the tables in the corner, it was a small corner café, it had six circular tables and a small kitchen at the back. Hinata took a seat after guiding Naruto to the one opposite chair. The tables were a good size, each had two or three chairs. It was after lunch so most of the lunchtime customers had left, although a few people were still sitting at tables having a drink while reading a book or talking quietly to their companions. It wasn't long before a waitress noticed them, she came over to them with a pencil and a notepad
"What would you like, Hinata-san?" The waitress asked, barely noticing Naruto
"A l-large portion of Dango please" Hinata said quietly. The waitress smiled and jotted the order down
"You've been coming here for the better part of two years, you have no need to be shy around here" The waitress said with a smile "…a large plate for the both of you, yes?"
"Yes" Hinata raised her voice above her whisper. The young waitress took a glance at Naruto then back at Hinata and gave her an approving smile. The waitress took the order to the kitchen
"You've been coming here for two years?" Naruto asked, trying to start a conversation
"Yeah, I stumbled across this little place by accident, ever since then I've come here for lunch or for a quick snack" Hinata said
"It's a nice place, though it must get a bit loud if Kiba came here" Naruto said, whilst admiring the feeling of calm
"Kiba-kun?" Hinata said confused
"Yeah, you must have shown this place to your team mates" Naruto said. Hinata felt a blush begin to surface
"W-well actually, Naruto-kun…you're the first person I've come here with, I come here when I need some personal space" Hinata explained "…sort of like that spot in the Hyuuga gardens" Naruto nodded in understanding
"I'm honoured" Naruto said smiling
"I think that you are the one person I trust more than anyone else in the village, Naruto-kun" Hinata confessed. Naruto felt himself be touched by the heart
'I'm so lucky! There's no way that I could have ever been this happy with Sakura-chan' Naruto thought
"Thank you…and I'm sorry for not noticing you sooner" Naruto apologised. Hinata smiled and put her hand on his
"Don't be" Hinata said. The waitress was surprised at Hinata. In the years that she had known the young women, she had always been the polite, shy person. And now she was openly displaying affection. The waitress had been watching the two with amused interest, she almost jumped in surprise when the cook put the plate of Dango next to her. Not wasting a second, she picked it up and walked over to the table of Naruto and Hinata. Hinata noticed the waitresses approach and quickly retracted her hand to give some room for the plate. The waitress carefully placed the plate down, it was a generous helping of Dango, it might be a challenge for the two of them to finish
"Thank you, Ryoko-san" Hinata said gratefully. Ryoko smiled encouragingly at Hinata, before going to take the order of someone else in the café. Hinata looked at the Dango on sticks and smiled in anticipation - she loved Dango
"Here, Naruto-kun" Hinata picked up one of the sticks and placed it in Naruto's hand carefully
"Thanks Hinata-chan" Naruto said moments before he swallowed one of the Dango balls whole, it didn't take him more than a couple of moments to finish the other two that were on the skewer. He put the stick down and helped himself to another, He acted a bit too quickly as he was about to pick up a fresh stick, he pricked his hand on the pointed end of a skewer. But this did not deter him, this time he carefully picked up a stick of Dango. Though he could not see her, Hinata was eating at a remarkable pace, while still managing to keep up her table manners. The two sat and devoured all but the last stick, each had the sweet taste in their mouths but decided that they wanted more, Naruto's hand already moved and searched for the last stick. Hinata thought carefully about what she should do
'I could let Naruto-kun have the last one…but I love Dango so much…But I love Naruto-kun more…but Dango!' Hinata was in severe conflict with her love of Naruto and of Dango. All the while Naruto's hand was inching closer and closer to the last one
'Naruto-kun can't see, he dosen't know that there's one left, you could just take it and tell him that there was none left' Hinata had an image of herself dressed in a dark, skin-tight outfit with a miniskirt, with long, partially red dyed hair flowing freely behind her, she was idly filing her nails with a kunai as she sat cross legged on a low wall. This represented her dark side which very rarely raised it's head
'No, No, No. Naruto-kun is our guest, You must let him have the last one… anyway, it's wrong to take advantage of his disability' A second image of herself appeared in Hinata's mind, this one was dressed in a cream-coloured dress, unlike the previous one, this one was wearing an outfit that covered her cleavage and past her mid thighs. Her hair was tied up behind her head. This personality was Hinata's goodwill, her light side.
'They both make such good points' Hinata thought, she saw in her mind the two halves of herself. On the left was coloured purple, This conveyed the feeling of darkness while still making "Darkside Hinata" stand out, And there she stood, in all her glory, doing her best to make her female assets stand out, she still had her kunai.
On the right was "Lightside Hinata" she was standing in front of a pale yellow backdrop. She stood in a dignified position, her hands joined together in front of her, a kind smile on her lips, and not slouching over in the slightest. Both were trying to convince her to do it their way
Hinata's hand shot out in a flash and grabbed an end of the skewer before Naruto's hand discovered it
'ATTA GIRL!' Dark Hinata praised, Light Hinata looked disappointed
'It's bad enough that you saw the love of our life naked, without his knowledge. Now you steal the last stick of Dango, which clearly, Naruto-kun was going for' Light Hinata said, Dark Hinata rolled her eyes at her companion and grinned wickedly before she silenced Light Hinata
'HEY! WATCH IT WITH THAT THING' Light Hinata shouted after the kunai zipped past the back of her head, cutting the band that held her hair up. The piece of band fell to the floor and Light Hinata's hair fell gracefully down, it now looked like Dark Hinata's, except un-dyed
'ah shut up! You know you liked walking in on Naruto-kun like that' Dark Hinata grinned just before all three Hinatas sighed dreamily at the memory
"What?" Naruto asked, hearing the sigh. Hinata was brought back to reality with a jolt and a blush after where her train of thought lead. Hinata once again saw her two personalities in her mind, looking at her expectantly. Hinata thought of a way out of it. Quickly, she sank her teeth into one of the balls on the stick and pulled it off. Dark Hinata laughed manically in her victory, while Light Hinata shook her head. But after Hinata had taken the ball off the stick she put it in Naruto's hand. In her mind Light Hinata looked at her companion with a smile. Each glared at each other before simultaneously turning their backs on each other and disappearing
"Thanks Hinata-chan" Naruto said happily, unaware of the thought processes that had run through Hinata's mind "…there's one missing" Naruto said as he only felt two balls on the stick
"Oh…ish ther'?" Hinata struggled with the Dango in her mouth, Naruto smiled after realising what happened and remained silent as he finished the last Dango. After Naruto was finished, Hinata put some money on the table for a tip before she got up from her seat, Naruto got up and waited for Hinata to take his arm. Hinata quickly took Naruto by the hand and walked up the counter where Ryoko was reading a magazine. As Hinata approached, Ryoko quickly straightened up, She quickly gave Hinata the bill
"Thank you" Hinata said as she received the bill, she quickly fished out the right amount of money
"Thank you" Ryoko said, Hinata bowed and led Naruto outside. Once they were outside, Hinata brought Naruto's arm around her shoulders and put hers around his waist and began to walk
It was starting to get dark, the amount of birdsong was decreasing and the amount of people on the streets was lessening. The temperature was also beginning to fall, sending a chill across Naruto's bare arms
"You wanna go back to my apartment? I'm starting to get a bit cold" Naruto said. Hinata felt the goose bumps where his bare arm made contact with the back of her neck
"Okay" Hinata said
"What time is it, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, remembering his appointment with telling his friends about his secret
"We have about forty-five minutes before we have to go" Hinata answered
"Really? You really do loose track of time when you can't see" Naruto said to himself "…anyway, let's go get my jacket then we'll head off to your house" Naruto said softly
"Okay, Naruto-kun" Hinata nodded, she led Naruto onto the main street and walked him to his apartment as she had done times before.
One of the advantages the café had was that it was a stones throw away from Naruto's apartment, yet another reason why Hinata liked it, every time she came, she would hope that she would run into him by chance. But now the café had lost that advantage since Naruto had moved apartment. Hinata led Naruto past his old apartment and followed the path she walked that morning to Naruto's apartment. It wasn't too long before it came into view. All the time, Naruto seemed to be in thought, so Hinata decided that she'd leave him alone for the time being. Hinata carefully led Naruto up the stairs to the building. To her, Naruto seemed to be getting a bit sluggish, though it was understandable
"We're here, Naruto-kun" Hinata said to the silent Naruto, he responded with a mere nod of his head. Hinata brought out the key and let Naruto and herself in
"Wait here Naruto-kun, I'll go find your jacket" Hinata said, she put his hand on the table in the middle of the room, so that he had something to keep him steady
"Okay" Naruto smiled at the girl. Hinata went into Naruto's room and looked around, his jacket was on the floor by the bed. Hinata quickly walked over and picked it up. As she did, something fell out of an inside pocket. It was a small, cylindrical, brown container. Hinata took a closer look. It seemed familiar. She carefully picked it up, she noticed that it had a few cracks in it. Finally, she allowed her brain to recognize it; it was the jar of ointment the she had given to Naruto. In that moment of realisation, she felt her heart melt. He had kept the jar with him since that day in the Chuunin exams. Hinata rose to her feet, feeling slightly breathless. She held Naruto's jacket in one hand and cradled the jar in her other and then helplessly smiled, not just a reserved smile that she usually did, but one that she felt to her very core. She realised with slight embarrassment that Naruto was still outside, waiting for her. Still with a smile she quickly put the jar back in Naruto's jacket. With his jacket in hand, Hinata came out of the bedroom and walked fearlessly up to Naruto and threw her arms around him and claimed his lips with her own. Naruto jumped in shock, this was a most unexpected turn of events. His knees weakened, forcing him to go down. Hinata was not going to allow the moment to be ruined by Naruto collapsing, so she manoeuvred his body backwards onto the table, all the time keeping their lips in contact. Naruto was getting over the initial shock, and put his arms around the girl who seemed to be attached to his lips. Hinata had forgotten herself, she was only aware of two things; First: She was kissing Naruto with more intensity than ever before, Second: She didn't want to stop. Her body was half-lying on Naruto's, her left leg was pinning him to the table, to make sure he wasn't going to go anywhere. Not that he wanted to. Naruto was surprised, and even slightly scared by the sudden change in Hinata, but what he was feeling in the kiss both mentally and physically disabled him from moving anything but his arms and head. Even the discomfort of the hard table went unfelt by Naruto. Minutes had passed, Both had started to breathe through their noses, they felt each other's breathe tickle their face. Naruto's shy hands had come to rest on Hinata's hips, once there they refused to move. Hinata's hands were slightly more confident, Her right hand was twirling a spike of Naruto's hair around her finger, her left rested on his rapidly ascending and descending chest. Just as Naruto was beginning to feel comfortable with the situation, something else -unexpected but pleasant- happened. Dark Hinata made another appearance in Hinata's mind and submitted an order to her weakened state of mind.
Naruto froze to the spot, his entire body clenched, his chest even stopped rising and dropping. Hinata's tongue had forced entry to Naruto's mouth and was now exploring it's new environment. Naruto's hands began to shake at Hinata's hips, his face began to show a tint of blue from not breathing. He had to focus to keep his eyes from opening up wide behind the bandages. With every last ounce of will power and mental strength he moved his tongue to connect with Hinata's. When they made contact, it was the most powerful sensation either of them had ever felt before in their lives. With this in mind, Naruto became more confident as he took the battle to her mouth and began exploring like she had just done. Hinata's tongue caressed Naruto's as it explored the warm, moist, softness of her mouth and tongue. Naruto found himself addicted to the feeling, the closeness…the taste.
Inside Hinata's mind, Dark Hinata was laughing maniacally, even Light Hinata was smiling.
All good things must come to a stop, but they have to slow down first. It was in this moment that Hinata's conscious mind began to re-awaken and realise the situation she was in, memories of the past ten minutes also came back to her. Her body had ceased moving in disbelief, her face was aflame when she felt Naruto's tongue against her own, when she felt the position they were in and a final fact that she was the one who initiated it. She knew that she had to stop it, her inner-selves begged her not to and she herself didn't want to but she knew that they had somewhere to be and it was more important than her currant activity, even although she could stay in that position all day. Hinata felt her mind slipping away, if she didn't act soon then she would once again loose all sense of reason and return to what she was like a few minutes ago. She didn't want to dare think about what could happen if that happened. Hinata pushed Naruto's tongue back past her lips and closed them over Naruto's lower lip. Once she had his lip, she pulled her head back, tugging his lip in the process. Once she was clear, Hinata rested her head on his shoulder
"H-Hin…a-ata…ch-chan" Naruto was struggling for breath
"hmm…Naruto-kun…h-hands" Hinata said, she had quickly regained her breath but her heart rate was still beating strong and hard. Naruto was confused by her choice of words
"Y-Your H-Hands" Hinata said shakily. Naruto was confused. His body had been numb but the feeling began to return, his hands were resting on something soft. Curious, Naruto squeezed slightly. Hinata squeaked and her entire body jolted. As he usually does, Naruto pieced it together; the position of Hinata's body on his, the last known position of his hands, the softness that he felt and the reaction of Hinata when he squeezed. Naruto gulped loudly, his face matched Hinata's. Naruto –with utmost care- lifted his hands off of Hinata's backside and put them lightly on Hinata's middle-back
"S-Sorry" Naruto said quietly. Hinata managed a kind smile, even although he couldn't see it, Naruto felt it. Hinata gave Naruto a quick kiss on the nose before weakly pushing herself off the table. Her knees almost gave way when she slid off the table. Hinata took a hold of Naruto's hand and aided him off the table. Naruto almost fell over like her, but Hinata held him up
"W-we should get going or we'll be late" Hinata said as she picked up Naruto's jacket which she dropped before attaching herself to Naruto. "…h-here's your jacket" Hinata handed the jacket to him, her voice seemed very quiet, Naruto understood why. Hinata moved alongside Naruto after he had put his jacket on. She timidly slid her arm around Naruto. She squeaked when he brought his arm around her shoulders. Hinata walked forward, bringing Naruto with her
'I wonder what made Hinata-chan suddenly kiss me' Naruto thought. He then realised something. His jacket didn't feel right, something felt different. He then realised that that the jar of ointment Hinata had given him was in the wrong pocket, he had always kept it in an inside pocket on his chest, but now it was in one lower down. He then understood Hinata's actions earlier
'She must have found it in my jacket and was touched by the fact that I had kept it all this time' Naruto thought as he tightened his grip on the girl ever so slightly. The two made it out onto the street without any words. But they were comfortable with this. Hinata guided Naruto off down the street towards the Hyuuga manor…and the final decision whether he would be accepted.
It was nearing the time set by Naruto, and Shikamaru had done his duty. With the help of Neji and Ino he rounded up all the seven remaining Gennins. Now the ten of them waited in a living area near the entrance of the house. Each were talking amongst themselves. They all stopped talking as they heard the front doors close with a bang, and the approaching footsteps. The Gennins and Chuunin were all wondering what it was that Naruto wanted. All except the two Gennins of team seven at the back wall of the room. It was a large room; big leather, antique furniture was lined up in a circle on the floor, all facing inward, most of the Gennin were sitting on these pieces of furniture, awaiting the arrival of Naruto and Hinata. Shikamaru was on his own sitting at a table outside the circle, Ino was going from group to group trying to figure out what everyone knew; While Sakura and Sasuke were speaking quietly about Naruto. But now, everyone was silent as they listened to the approaching footsteps. A few more footsteps were heard before Hinata and Naruto entered the room. As they noticed their arrival, all the Gennin and the Chuunin entered the circle and silently took a seat. Hinata guided Naruto to the centre of the circle and stayed by his side. Sasuke and Sakura also stood beside Naruto. There was a mixed reaction to the obvious closeness between Naruto and Hinata. Hinata took noticed of the annoyed look on Kiba's face and smiled apologetically. Though everyone else were approving of the couple. Neji, Shino and Sasuke remained neutral as they always do
"Go ahead, Naruto-kun" Hinata said reassuringly as she slipped her hand into his. With a smile, he began
"Thanks for coming. What I have to tell you will explain why I haven't had an enjoyable upbringing. I've already told Hinata-chan, Sasuke and Sakura-chan" Naruto motioned to them with movements of his head "…They have accepted me for who I am, not what I am. I hope that you feel the same way, but I won't blame you if you don't. Before I begin, I'd like to say that I like who I am. Before, I used to hate myself. But thanks to all of you, Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. I was able to like myself" Naruto felt Hinata squeeze his hand
"You all of course know of the attack on Konoha by the Kyuubi" Naruto heard the sounds of acknowledgment before he continued
"The Fourth used a special technique to defeat the Kyuubi. Defeat, but not destroy" Naruto could hear confusion through the darkness of his sightlessness
"To make sure that the Kyuubi would remain imprisoned, he sealed the demon in a living person; a newborn child" Hinata looked at each of the expressions on the faces in front of her. Most were confused, except Shikamaru who had seemingly figured out where Naruto was going with it. But what he felt about it was unclear. He was –to say the least- surprised
"Your parents told you to stay away from this child. He was known to many as the Monster Child. Large groups of kids would call him names like that, because he was avoided like a monster. They knew nothing of the real Monster that was inside him. He was known as a Monster but you know him as…Uzumaki Naruto" Hinata moved so that she had her arm around his waist. Sakura put her hand on his back, above Hinata's arm. Even Sasuke put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto endured the minutes of silence that roamed afterwards. It was killing him. He couldn't hear any kind of reaction, and he couldn't even use his eyes to read their expressions.
The Gennins were looking to each other and occasionally back at Naruto. They had no idea what to say. The silence was broken by the least expected person
"I understand" Came Neji's voice "…I know how it feels to have a seal that cannot be removed" Everyone looked at him. Hinata gave him a grateful smile
"You have clearly influenced Neji's view on life, Naruto-kun. For that, you earned my respect and admiration. An action that you had no choice in to begin with is not any reason to change my mind. You still have my respect and admiration" Tenten said. Lee decided that he needed to say something, since his two team mates said something
"When I first met you, I underestimated you. I then witnessed your skills and saw you as a worthy opponent and rival. The Kyuubi gives me a reason to want to prove that hard work can overcome a demon, it does not give me a reason to hate you" Lee was proud of what he said and was sure that Gai would be too. Lee looked to across to the other Gennin. The closest seated to him was Kiba. Noticing the expecting look he was being given, he realised that he was expected to say something
"Erm…If Hinata accepts you then it's fine by us" Kiba said for himself and Shino. Hinata gave him a look that told him to say more
"And…I suppose you're a good guy, despite what you carry" Kiba said. Hinata gave him a nod of approval. Shikamaru was next to voice his opinion, surprisingly he was not forced to do it
"You're an idiot…how could think that we would think less of you for this" It wasn't much but Naruto was grateful. Hinata found herself cast a glance at Sakura. She had been the only one to take the news negatively
"You are loud, obnoxious and a downright pain in my beautiful ass" Ino said, earning herself a giggle from the occupants of the room "…but when it comes down to it…you care about your friends, more so than yourself. This quality is rare, and in my eyes is enough to redeem all of your flaws"
"I could never hate a fellow lover of food" Chouji said, everyone burst out laughing. Chouji was being serious, but took no offence at the laughter. Naruto was laughing most of all
"Thanks, that…that really means a lot to me" Naruto said after he had calmed down, he felt thrown back by the loyalty of his friends
"well, if that's all you have to say then we have to get back to the shop" Ino said, prising Shikamaru up from the gel-like softness of the couch he was sitting in. Surprising everyone, Ino walked up to Naruto and hugged him. Naruto was surprised but returned the gesture awkwardly
"You're a good person, don't let anyone tell you different" Ino whispered in his ear
"Thanks" Naruto grinned. Shikamaru gave Naruto a simple pat on the shoulder
"Catch you later Fox-boy" Shikamaru trailed after Ino. Naruto laughed at his nickname
"Yeah, I've gotta go take the clan dogs for a walk, and my mom will have me eating dog biscuits for a month if I'm late" Kiba said as he got up. Akamaru was yipping excitedly at his feet from the mention of the four-letter-word. Kiba tried to think of something meaningful to say to Naruto as he left. Unable to think of anything, he settled for giving him a warning
"If I hear stories that you've been mistreating Hinata, then we won't forgive you" Kiba said
"You don't have to worry about that, I would lay down my life for her" Naruto declared. Tenten and Sakura cocked their heads, they felt the power of Naruto's words
"Uh huh, I'm sure you will. Come on Shino, I'll walk you home" Kiba and Shino left. Everyone heard and felt a near deafening rumble
"I'm getting a bit hungry, I think I'll go find something to eat" Chouji stood and left, not without wordlessly patting Naruto on the shoulder
"I feel like going home now" Naruto said
"Okay Naruto-kun" Hinata turned around and began leading Naruto out the room
"Hold up" Naruto heard Sakura's voice, and felt her presence pull up beside him "…we'll walk the pair of you"
"Sure" Naruto welcomed the company
The four of them exited the Hyuuga estate and walked out onto the street. The sun had since set, to be replaced by the artificial glow of the street lamps
"I'm glad that they understood" Sakura said
"Yeah, I'm lucky to have such good friends" Naruto agreed
"Have you used your cane yet?" Sakura asked, noticing the gift she and Sasuke got for Naruto in his kunai holster
"What? Oh…right, yeah I forgot about that" Naruto said feeling the cane on his leg "…I haven't had a chance to test it out yet"
"What you guys gonna be up to tomorrow?" Naruto asked
"Dunno, when are yourbandages coming off?" Sakura asked curious. Naruto made a confused noise
"Tomorrow it'll have been a week since the mission" Sakura said
"Really? Wow! Who'da thought" Naruto said. He descended into thought. Silence roamed for a few minutes
"So…you worried?" Sakura asked
"I haven't really been thinking about it enough to be worried" Naruto said quietly
"Here's our stop" Hinata said, realising that they had arrived at Naruto's apartment
"So this is your new apartment?" Sakura looked up at the building "…can we have a look?" Hinata acted quickly to stop it
"Maybe some other time, It's been a long day" Hinata said, her real motive was to hide the fact that Naruto lived in a pink apartment, hide it until she spoke with Tsunade
"Okay, hope to see you tomorrow, Naruto" Sakura said "…and hope to be seen by you tomorrow"
"Thanks" Naruto smiled as the two left. Naruto heard Sasuke's grunt before the sound of footsteps leading away. Hinata took Naruto by the hand and led him up the stairs. She quickly brought out the key and let the door open before guiding Naruto inside. Once he was inside, Naruto discarded his jacket on the table in the middle of the room. Hinata quickly put it on the coat hooks that were at the back of the apartment, above the radiator. She too removed her Jacket and hung it alongside Naruto's. She now stood in Naruto's apartment in a tight, black tank top and matching pants. If Naruto could have seen her, he would have most likely blushed and turned away
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata noticed the expression on Naruto's face, his exposed forehead was wrinkled and his lips were in a neutral formation. Hinata noticed that there was a stale smell in the apartment. Hinata decided to let the apartment breath. She slid open one of the large glass panels that went from the floor to the ceiling. She realised that they were actually sliding doors that led out onto balconies. Hinata walked over to Naruto and took him across the sliding door and led him out onto the balcony. She brought Naruto forward towards the decent sized railing that would stop an accident from happening. Naruto put his arms on the rail and leaned on it. He just stood there and listened to the sounds of Konoha
"Naruto-kun, I'm just going to make us a snack. Are you going to be alright?" Hinata asked concerned
"Yeah, I'll be fine" Naruto replied happily. Listening to the sounds of the night made Naruto feel better about the next day. Hinata backed away before turning around and going inside.
Once inside, She went into the compact kitchen and had a look around. She decided not to make anything to complex. Hinata looked through the cupboards and through the Fridge but only found Instant ramen
'It's to be expected' Hinata thought to herself. She removed a couple of cups and began to prepare them
Back outside Naruto had brought out the cane that Sakura had given him
'Does she expect me to never regain my sight? If she didn't then why did she get me this?' Naruto thought 'ah well, she probably just saw it and thought of me' Naruto reasoned. He started moving it about, felling how it felt. He tested it by tapping it against the railing. It worked really well. He felt the force of the impact through the cane.
'This will be really useful. I wonder…' Naruto used the cane and his Chakra sense in unison. The combination worked really well, Naruto found he could move around much easier with the two aids. He smiled to himself at this discovery before collapsing the cane and putting it back in it's place. He went back to listening to the night. He heard people on the street below him, but what fascinated him was the wind. He listened to the wind before, but for some reason it seemed all the more alive now. A few minutes later he felt the presence of Hinata behind him, along with the slight aroma of instant ramen
"Naruto-kun"
"Just coming" Naruto said cheerfully as he turned around and headed towards the voice. He felt a hand take his and lead him into the apartment. Hinata guided him to a seat at the table, where the smell of the ramen originated. Naruto's hand instinctively searched for the cup. He felt the heat and carefully moved his hand towards it. Once his hand found the source of –in Naruto's opinion- taste-bud heaven. He found that Chopsticks were already in the cup. He began to greedily devour the noodles inside the cup. Hinata was happy to see that Naruto had cheered up and proceeded to eat in a comforting silence. No words passed between the two as they emptied the cups of all noodles
"That was good" Naruto said as he revelled in the fresh taste of Ramen in his mouth
"I'm glad you enjoyed it" Hinata said as she put the two empty cups in the bin under the table
"What do you want to do now?" Hinata asked. Naruto just shrugged
"Have a seat on my couch" Naruto said, he hadn't sat in it yet and decided that he had to. Naruto got to his feet and walked back from the table to where he remembered the couch being. It was a large and very soft couch. Naruto sat in the centre and patted the space to his right. Hinata blushed and joined him. Without much warning, Naruto hugged Hinata once she sat down. He hugged her with gently force. So that she was on her back on the couch. Her upper-back and head rested on the soft armrest that moulded itself to Hinata's back so it supported her with comfort. She slipped off her sandals and put her feet up on the couch. Naruto had already done so. His head rested on Hinata's upper chest so that he heard her heartbeat and his legs lay across the couch. Naruto's arms were around Hinata's waist and Hinata's bare arms were loosely around Naruto's neck
"To be honest…I'm scared about the outcome tomorrow" Naruto said. Hinata leaned her head forwards and kiss Naruto on the top of the head
"Don't worry about it" Hinata comforted him. Naruto snuggled in closer to Hinata, making her blush
"What's your favourite colour?" Naruto asked. The question surprised Hinata, but it occurred to her how little Naruto must have know about her
"Purple" Hinata responded. Naruto smiled as he began to feel at peace
"What's your favourite animal?" Naruto asked
"a bird, they're so free" Hinata explained
"What about you, Naruto-kun. What's your favourite colour?"
"Blue, I like orange as well. But my favourite colour is blue" Naruto explained
The night continued like this for a while each exchanging little bits of personal information. Hinata was in the middle of talking about the day that she realised Naruto. Her voice was like an angel to Naruto's ears. He struggled to listen to every word, but his mind needed to re-charge. Hinata continued to speak. She stopped when she heard the light snores coming from Naruto. With a giggle she snuggled in closer to him. Hinata took out a kunai and held it by the blade, she reached up and flicked a conveniently placed light switch with the ring of the kunai
"Good night…my fox" With these last words Hinata drifted off to sleep, in the embrace of the one she loved
Author's Note: YES! DONE! Another chapter completed. It took it's time but I got there in the end. Just in case you haven't been keeping track of the time during the progress of the chapters
Day 1 – Chapters 1 2
Day 2 – Chapter 3
Day 3 – Chapters 45
Day 4 – Chapters 67
Day 5 – Chapter 8
Day 6 – Chapter 9 (this chapter)
Day 7 - (next chapter)
Dual Rasengan – I suppose I could work that idea in somehow, I'll remember this. Thanks for reading, ta for reviewing and enjoy the story
KyLewin – Ah well, sorry 'bout that. Writers block, studying for exams, it all takes up time, but I'm glad I have your forgiveness. I'm having the revenge deal so that Naruto is not treated as a complete cripple
nArUtOhInAtA forever – Amazing you say? As for telling the others of Kyuubi, I had a little trouble fitting that in
Hisoka316 – Yeah well, it's good that you still read my fic. Thanks for reviewing. You're awesome by the way. "Choosing one's path" enjoyment to the highest level.
Alixen – YOU THOUGHT MY FIC WAS DEAD? YOU INSULT ME (not really, but it's nice to know you care) Okay, yes, I'm from Scotland; more precisely, central/eastern Scotland, a little town called Kinross. As for Hiashi? Yeah, well, I try to be different. In practically all other naruhina, Hiashi doesn't approve and he comes off as a right asshole, I try to avoid that, but try to keep him from acting like a softie. I'm considering a time jump, I understand the fact that they are still young, but for the time being I'll try to work around this limitation
Manatheron – It was you who pushed me to finish the previous chapter, for that I thank you. Apologies from you are not necessary. One from me is more just, since I take so long for updates.
Hinatasbiggestfanboy – well, yeah. Sorry about that, I just wasn't sure what to do at that point. As I read it over I saw what you mean, it was kinda rushed, but thanks for your understanding that those bits are among the difficult category to write
Kd8gun – You are of course entitled to your opinion and I am grateful that you voiced it. I'll take in what you say. Thank you for reviewing
Chibified Kitsunes – Good praises as usual Chibi-chan. I gave Sakura a reason to hate Naruto especially for you (I know how much you hate pinkie) That was the major reason I wrote that part, the minor reason was to give a short background detail on Sakura. Her father for example, we haven't heard a peep from/about him in the series so I used it. Though I admit the hate scene was kinda short for some people's liking. I'm building up Hinata's character as well. I hate how she doesn't get much respect in the series, but this is the advantage of fanfiction. About Naruto's apartment(colour) I like that idea, at first I just thought that it would be a classic Tsunade revenge plot, but I can work in that it wasn't Tsunade's idea. And I will of course continue to write
Daniel of lorien – Well, better late than never. Thanks for reviewing
Minimerc – Aww thanks, I love you too. Sasuke was calm in hearing the news because he understood that it wasn't Naruto's fault. I felt I rushed Sakura's reaction though. I hope you can get your fic. Back on the go soon
Kei-Kun – Thanks for reading and reviewing. I decided that I would have it so that Hiashi would have preferred the two to be apart but so that he would grudgingly accept it
Khanaris – Thank you, I try to limit how many mistakes I have. I must overlook the apostrophe in that. I'm developing Hinata in such a way that she becomes stronger and is better respected. You're right, I did rush the confession scene, for that I'm sorry. Thanks for reading
Hyuuga – Thank you! I try to write as best I can, but hearing praise from people like you makes it more enjoyable
Jayjay – Hey, thanks man! I really appreciate that. The best since "Two-halves"? Clearly you haven't read "Coming Home" Thanks for reading
Kenshinlover2002 – Yeah well, I thought Jirayia would be the best person to use to take a step back from the handicap.
Nonengel – Thanks, I thought I'd do the morning scene to explain why no guards were around the night before. And I thought that I really rushed the explanation scene. But you liked so I guess it was okay
Cursedmind( ) – I know how you feel, there are never enough Naruhinas out there
Danny-171984 – Thanks, I will always continue to write, I explained you're enquiry at the top of this chapter: why those kids attacked Naruto
Lt.Shadow – Thanks for your understanding. I try to finish chapters when I can but I don't have much free time to work on them
Crakbaby23 – Aww, don't cry, I HAVE RETURNED! You have confirmed something for me, thank you! I was wondering if my fic was "re-readable" or "read once"
Arurisonu Akane – I'll continue to read yours if you continue to read mine. Thanks for reviewing
Archangel Rhapsody – Thank you, I try to write as best I can
Overlord( ) – Respect back at cha. Sorry 'bout the wait