Lonely Hearts

Authors note!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the introduction. It has given me the confidence to continue this story. I hope you enjoy chapter two!

The Monster

The land was dark. Clouds swarmed the sky, completely masking any light. Masters of the dark ruled over the dead land, filing the air with hungry howls. This type of night could leave you feeling uncomfortably cramped and yet completely free at the same time.

No' one could see you.

No' one could touch you.

No 'one could harm you.

It was Neji's favourite type of night.

Yet, however much he wanted to enjoy the night, he had a job to do. Having no idea what he was looking for; the only description the sheriff had given him was that it was a monster, he took two pistols that night.

Of course, he didn't believe in monsters. He was never one for fairytales. To him, there was reality and fantasy; and if you didn't stick to reality, you'd soon lose yourself.

Because of this, much to the disappointment of the young women of the town, he didn't date. His reason? Simple.

No' one understood him.

Life had driven him into solitude, and if he hadn't of stumbled upon the humble town when he did…

Neji took no horse, not wanting to make much noise. He may not believe in monsters, but he knew of other creatures that wouldn't mind a tasty midnight treat.

He crept silently, stopping every so often to listen to the midnight choir. He heard not a whisper; even the winds were quiet that night.

Then there was panting.

Whipping his body towards the sound, Neji gripped his gun through the fabric of the pouch in which it was held. Listening closely, he guessed the creature, whatever it was, to be half a mile away, maximum. The panting was heavy and it didn't seem to be looming closer. Neji was safe. For now.

But the sound intrigued him. His legs wandered unconsciously closer to the strange noise, for it did not sound dangerous. In fact, it sounded almost human.

As he gradually made his way towards the sounds, they became weaker, fainter. Either it was recovering or…dying.

Neji suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, for he was alone no longer. A few metres ahead of him, illuminated eyes stared at him. Even in the total darkness, its size seemed unreal; it truly was a beast. Doing what any cowboy would do, he withdrew his gun from his pouch and slowly raised it out in front of him.

Laid his other hand atop the gun, steadying his aim.

He put a single finger on the trigger.

Tightened his grip.

And…

Stopped.

Neji's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. The panting was still there…yet the beast gave no indication of weakness. It must've been coming from another source. But…just where exactly?

The great beast then snorted. Instantly, Neji withdrew his gun, almost laughing as he did so. It was only a horse, a grand monster, but a horse none-the-less.

Neji clicked his tongue and the horse came obediently, rattles of bindles crashing together as he did so. Blinded by the darkness, Neji laid his hands upon the horse, feeling his way around until he came to a body; the source of the panting. The traveller seemed unconscious and very weak; it would've been impossible to treat the traveller in these conditions. Having no other choice, Neji mounted the horse, gripping the traveller between his legs to keep them upright and headed back towards town.

It was going to be a long night.

The winehouse was silent, the punters had long made their ungraceful way back to their bunks, and only the landlady was left. The chink of glass echoed throughout the room as she collected the last of the misplaced pint jugs, careful not to break anymore that night.

She blushed again at the memory. Even the mention of him and she would shut down.

Nothing more than a whisper, words escaped her lips, stinging her like poison.

"I'm a wreck…"

She knew exactly why she had reacted like that. She was in love. Deep, uncontrollable, one-sided love.

How much she loathed her heart. He drove her crazy, and yet she had spoken not a word to him.

"Pathetic…" She spat, eyes filling up. Shaking her head, she went back to work, putting the glasses back in their rightful positions.

The pub door opened cautiously and a figure made its way gingerly towards the bar. Hinata, with her back turned from the stranger, hadn't noticed anyone enter the building, but could feel a presence. Stopping what she was doing, she slowly turned her head to face the figure, her breathe caught in her throat, unable to scream.

But, she didn't want to scream because she was scared. On the contrary, what she was faced with was, in her eyes, the most gorgeous creature on the planet. His golden hair sparkled in the dim candlelight, his eyes soft and delicate as though he was staring right into her very core and his smile toothy and friendly. The sheriff badge that was pinned on his Swede jacket might give him authority over others, but Hinata didn't need any badge to recognise his status. To her, he was so much better than she ever would be. She didn't deserve him.

Naruto raised his hat in greeting.

"Evenin' miss Hinata…" He eyed the winehouse, noticing how spotless it was; not a glass in sight. His grin disappeared "Oh, jeez, guess you're closing up huh? S-sorry to disturb you miss" Turning to leave, Hinata's mouth unconsciously opened.

"W-wait Naru-er…Sir" Seeing him stop, she averted her gaze from him, fiddling with her apron. "I…don't mind staying open a-a little longer…"

Hinata was frozen; those eyes made her legs weak and it was a challenge to keep them straight.

Naruto smiled apologetically "Sorry for the inconvenience, but that would be great. You're swell Hinata!"

Removing his hat from his head completely, he wandered over to the barstool nearest to her, never taking his eyes away from hers.

Hinata gently cleared her throat. "What W-would you like a drink s-sir?"

"Shucks Hinata, call me Naruto. We're friends, right?" The statement filled Hinata's heart with joy.

"I would like that…Naruto" She smiled sweetly, removing her hands from her apron. "P-pint?"

"Please" Hinata started to pour the drink, feeling awkward as Naruto kept staring at her.

He couldn't help it. He hadn't been a drinker in the past, but once he had moved to the town and spied the young landlady for the first time, he had become strangely fond of the pub. He would stay and drink the night away just so he could watch her. The way she dealt with customers, how she seemed to dance her way through the night, serving the unfortunate souls. Usually, Naruto was loud and proud, but around Hinata he could hardly speak. She took his breath away. Her hair swayed like silk, her eyes as bright as a sunrise and her body as graceful as a river. Yet, what dazzled him the most was her kindness. She may not be much of a talker, but when he heard delicate voice, she was always encouraging or complimenting someone. Everyone saw her as a motherly figure, but he saw her as the perfect women.

Naruto's thoughts were cut caught short from the door swinging open violently, crashing into the wall. Neji hurried into the pub, a stiff body lay in his arms. Forgetting their previous activity, the pair rushed over to assist him.

"Jesus Neji, what happened?" They lay the body on a bar table, Hinata taking charge by checking for signs of life.

"She's still breathing…hardly though. I-I'll fetch some water" Hinata picked up her skirt and rushed to retrieve the liquid, leaving Naruto and Neji bewildered.

"So, what happened? Did she get attacked by the monster?" Neji shook his head.

"The monster turned out to be nothing more than a bloody big horse, I found her unconscious on it" Naruto nodded, inspecting the girl for injury. Neji just stared at the girl, trying to figure her out.

She was incredibly thin and dirty. Her hair was fair but dusty, tied in a high ponytail, giving her face a hint of childish innocence. But her figure painted different picture. Her clothes were ripped in a number of places, giving the impression that she hadn't known hostility for a long time. She looked peaceful, her chest moving weakly up and down. He wanted to know who she was.

Hinata came racing back, struggling with the heavy jug of water and bundles of cloth. The blonde sheriff was still inspecting the girl, but his face gave no indication of worry.

"She doesn't seem to be harmed, a few cuts here and there but nothing to worry 'bout" Hinata nodded, more violet hairs escaping her grips. "Thank you Naruto…" She lay a wet cloth over the girls forehead "She can stay here for tonight, I have a s-spare room…"

"No" Finally snapping out of his thoughts, Neji stepped up. "She might be dangerous. We don't know who she is or what she wants…"

"Neji, I k-know you're concerned, but…she's a women who needs to be treated. I don't want to treat her like a criminal"

Naruto, feeling uncomfortable being in the middle of a family feud, stood and started intently at the unconscious girl.

"…I'm not sure what to think of her. But…Hinata's right. She needs to be treated fairly. But, I don't like the idea of Hinata being on her own" The girls cheeks flamed, embarrassed that Naruto chose her plan, and happy that Naruto took concern on her health.

"Then I'm staying here too" Neji leaned down and picked the girl up again, careful not to shake her too much, and marched towards the stairs leading to the bedrooms, not taking no as an answer.

Hinata shook her head, following Neji with her eyes. "He's too protective sometimes" smiling, she turned back to her customer. "Guess I'm lucky to have him"

It was Naruto's turn to blush; her smile always melted his heart. He cleared his throat. "G-Guess I'd better get goin'…thanks for your hospitality" Hinata looked up to him, he was a good few inches taller than she was.

"Y-you don't have to go. You h-haven't even finished your drink" Naruto chuckled at her kindness.

"Nah, you've got enough on your wagon tonight. I…I'll come back tomorrow morning though…" He scratched his head, trying to hide his red face "Y-You know, to check up on her"

Hinata's cheeks were aflame. She nodded. "Thank you… goodnight…Naruto" Her voice mimicked his name like a sweet melody.

Naruto placed his cowboy hat back atop his golden locks, flipped it down over his eyes as a goodnight wish and vanished out of the door.

She stood still for a while just staring at the door, replaying that nights events in her mind until she heard movement upstairs. Remembering her duties, she turned and fled upstairs, wanting to get to sleep so the morning would come by quicker.

Thank you for reading!

I'm so grateful for everyone who reviewed chapter 1, you're all so kind. I really didn't think the story line was good but you're kind words have given me the confidence to continue this story!

I hope to update a few more chapters during this week as it's half term (thank god) but after that, I have a load of GCSE stuff to complete =_= I hate retakes.

But I hope you'll bear with me and I'll write whenever I get the chance!

Thanks again!

Please review!