Fragile Hearts: Fourteen

"So..." Kiba trailed off focusing on the pot before him.

Naruto, who was seated comfortably by the counter on a stool perked up. "Yes?"

"You and Hinata..."

The blonde frowned, "what about us?"

The Inuzuka stiffened, "are you two dating?"

"Ah...well I don't know really."

He rolled his eyes and turned to face him, "what kind of answer is that?"

"An honest one," the Uzumaki deadpanned. Kiba turned away and the silence resumed. Hinata had left to take a bathe and get changed, leaving both men in each other's company. Until a minute ago they hadn't really said much to each other, which didn't surprise Naruto at all. He knew they were both fighting for Hinata's heart and from his perspective, Kiba was being a sore loser.

The sound of a door opening down the hall caught both their attention. "Ah..." There was the sound of Hinata's voice.

"Hinata?" Naruto called.

"...c-can someone help me?"

Her brown haired friend sighed and placed the kitchen towel he was holding down on the counter. "I'm coming."

"No, you continue making dinner. I'll go help her," Naruto said getting to his feet, he was about to walk away but Kiba grabbed his arm.

"Listen Naruto I know you're used to giving orders and all, but this isn't your office where you can boss people around." He hissed.

The blonde shrugged free from his grasp and was about to reply when Hinata started talking again. "Anyone..."

As soon as Kiba made a move to go Naruto blocked his path. "I think it's only fare that she chooses."

"What's your problem?"

"Who do you want Hinata?" Naruto called glaring at his counterpart.

There was a frustrated groan before she replied, "um...N-Naruto-kun." But little did she know that to Naruto her answer had a double meaning.

The Uzumaki smirked and yelled, "coming," before walking away. He listened as Kiba marched back to his post at the stove and released a huff of air. Shaking his head he tried to wipe the smile off his face as he approached the bathroom. It was slightly open and Hinata had her head through the crack. Her face was wet from the shower she'd just taken as well as her hair that was sticking to it. "Yes?"

Her cheeks burned as she realized what she was about to ask him, her stupidity costing her her dignity. "Uh...c-could you get something for me?"

"Sure."

"Okay, j-just hand me the plastic bag on my bed...please." She ordered blushing crimson; he nodded and she closed the door once again. Naruto didn't see the big fuss, he turned to walk into her room when her voice stopped him. "And don't look in it!"

"Okay!" He called back. The blonde's bare feet moved along the cool wooden floor that led into her room. His cerulean blue eyes glanced around the small space in awe, he always knew that she was an organized person, but her room was simply immaculate.

White walls created an enclosed space that housed a double bed, wardrobe and other bedroom furniture. Naruto quickly walked over to her bed without delay and picked up the alleged bag. Curiosity bubbled up within him as he stared at it, but still he decided to respect Hinata's wished and not look at its contents.

Walking back to the bathroom he knocked on the closed door and waited for the Hyūga to open it. Again she opened it slightly and stuck her hand through the small crack. "Thank you."

Naruto smiled and took her hand, it shook slightly due to her being surprised by his action and her inability to see him. Slowly he guided her moist hand to the bag and allowed her to wrap her fingers around the strap of it. "You're welcome."

There was a moment of silence while he released his hold on her. She hesitated before retracting her hand and closing the door slowly. The pale girl leaned against the closed door and sighed. Clenching the bag to her chest she felt heat rising in her cheeks, she was embarrassed and flustered for no reason. All he did was take her hand, after all it wasn't as though they hadn't held hands before. Ruffling her wet hair she shook her head, she needed to get dressed and join the two of them before they killed each other. Although they may not know it, she heard their little commotion...not all of it, but enough to let her know that they were at war.

Tightening the towel that was wrapped around her, Hinata removed the pack of sanitary pads from the bag and once again she blushed crimson. She wasn't sure whether or not Naruto had listened to her and that made it all the more awkward. What if he saw it? She groaned and her shoulders slumped forward. That was part of the reason why she didn't choose Kiba, surely he'd disobey her and look through her stuff, he always did. Because to him there were no secrets in the friendship they had and neither was there privacy.

The Hyūga frowned and looked at the packet in her hand, this was all her fault. If she had been paying more attention then she wouldn't have left it in her room in the first place and honestly she wasn't going to take the risk of retrieving it herself dressed only in a bath towel. If someone had seen her, she'd never live it down. With an exasperated sigh she pushed her thoughts aside and preoccupied herself with getting dressed.

It was almost ten minutes before she emerged from the bathroom. Scurrying into her bedroom, she made sure to put away the rest of her belongings. Once she felt that she was ready she straightened her shoulders and exited the room. On her way to the kitchen she fidgeted with the sleeve of her blouse nervously. It was a regular light blue, long sleeved blouse, which she wore with pajama bottoms since she wasn't out to impress anyone. Kiba was an old friend and Naruto was becoming a close friend to her. In which case she didn't care about what she wore around them.

"All done?" She asked on entering, to her surprise she only saw Kiba wearing her navy blue apron in front of the counter.

He shrugged while turning to face her, "you could say that."

Hinata glanced around looking for a certain blonde. Oh no... don't tell me he left because I made him pass me my- She trailed off when she saw him sitting in the living room watching tv. A small smile graced her lips and she turned to her brown haired friend once more. "Need help?"

"If you don't mind," he replied.

"Of course not," she chuckled going to stand beside him.

Hinata reached out to take another plate and Kiba eyed her from the corner of his eyes. "So does this mean apology accepted?"

She shrugged and glanced at him, "there's nothing to forgive."

"Come on," he said facing her. "I was being a jealous jerk."

"Jealous?" She stopped and looked at him. Kiba blushed and turned away, but when Hinata's gaze didn't waver he scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I... I um-" he stopped at the sound of the doorbell. "Y-you should get that."

She narrowed her eyes at him before leaving to go answer the door. His sigh was audible and for some reason it made her tense. The Hyūga flashed Naruto a small smile as she passed by the television and continued to the door. Tipping on her toes she caught a glimpse of who it was outside of her door. Her slender fingers ran through the end of her ponytail as she opened the door.

"Tamaki, hi," she smiled on seeing her neighbour.

Her counterpart's brown eyes scanned over her features, "is this a bad time?"

"Uh...it depends on what you'd define as a bad time," she answered hesitantly.

"Well I just came by to see how you were doing...I haven't seen you in a while."

Hinata smiled at her concern, "I'm doing fine and you?"

Tamaki deadpanned, "same as usual." The Hyūga giggled and she smiled in return, "well are you busy?"

"I have company, but..." She bit her bottom lip as she thought. "Would you want to join us for dinner?"

"Us?"

Hinata nodded, "Kiba-kun and Naruto-kun are here."

"Oh yeah, I met Kiba the other day," she said shifting from one foot to the next. "As for Naruto..."

The lavender eyed girl smiled and took a step to the side. "Come on, I'll introduce you guys."

The brunette nodded and stepped inside, removing her sandals she turned to Hinata who led her into the living room. "Who was at the door Hin-?" Kiba stopped once he saw Tamaki.

"Hi," she waved shyly.

The Inuzuka cracked a smile, "hey."

Naruto then got to his feet and stood beside Hinata. "Tamaki this is Naruto. Naruto-Tamaki."

"Hi."

"Nice to meet you," he smiled shaking her hand. Hinata stepped back from the two and rubbed her arms, it had been a while since she last had so many people in her home. The feeling was so surreal. "Is she joining us?"

"Yeah," the Hyūga answered glancing at Kiba to see his reaction. However he merely nodded and turned to retreat into the kitchen. "Well...have a seat. Dinner will be ready soon."

Tamaki nodded and both she and Naruto sat down. She took one last look at them before leaving to continue helping Kiba. "You should set the table."

"Right," she muttered gathering the number of plates needed. "Do we have enough food though?"

"Yeah. I always make extra." Hinata nodded and left to set the table. Passing by the doorway she paused momentarily when she heard laughter coming from the living room. She narrowed her eyes and watched as Tamaki stood up to act out whatever she was telling Naruto. Her hands faltered slightly causing her to almost drop the plates in her hands.

Friends already, huh?

Frowning she continued on her way to the dining table. Hinata didn't know why but seeing Naruto laughing with another woman made her...upset. "Don't be silly," she told herself as she placed a plate down. I don't even like him like that...right? "Of course I don't." She placed both hands on her hips and stepped back from the table. She had planned to have dinner with just Naruto and now it was the four of them. Her life was simply full of surprises.

"Dinner's ready!" Kiba called from the kitchen. Taking a deep breath Hinata decided to go and help Kiba, at least it would distract her from her nagging thoughts.

"Itadakimasu!" They all said once everyone was at the table. Hinata sat across from Tamaki while Kiba sat at the opposite end of the table across from Naruto. The room fell into a state of silence, the only thing that could be heard was their chopsticks banging against their plates which made everyone quite tense.

The Hyūga ate absentmindedly, her thoughts focused on just what Naruto meant to her. It had never really occurred to her that she might like him...really he came off as just a friend. Then why was she jealous just now? Her lavender eyes stared at the table as she tried to resolve her inner war. She ate slowly, unaware of the conversation that had started up.

"Hinata," Kiba placed a hand on hers causing her to flinch and stare at him with wide eyes. Her actions caught everyone's attention and all conversation ceased.

"S-sorry..."

He pulled back his hand and frowned slightly, "are you okay?"

"Yeah...w-why wouldn't I be?" She asked unsure if there was something she was unaware of.

Kiba shrugged and gestured to her food, "you just zoned out and you barely touched your food."

"...oh," she whispered more to herself than to him. "I'm fine though."

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked looking at her. She offered him a fake smile and nodded. I'm not okay because everything is wrong...so wrong.

"So Tamaki," she started off wanting to join the conversation. The brunette perked up, "how's job hunting?."

Tamaki groaned and was tempted to bang her head against the table. "I'm sure if you look in the dictionary for the word unemployment you'll see my picture." At that both Naruto and Kiba tried to contain their laughter. "It's not funny you guys. I'm desperate here," she whined.

"Sorry," Kiba said hiding a smile while Naruto simply laughed. Hinata sulked and sunk further into her seat. She knew both guys longer and yet Tamaki was more comfortable around them. It was a challenge for her to make Naruto laugh and here she was watching as her neighbour all but had him on the ground in a fit of giggles. All in all, she was no match.

"I'll see what I can do," the blonde spoke up.

"Really?"

Naruto nodded, but Kiba interjected. "No need, you can work for me if you'd like. I need an assistant to help me at my office."

The Uzumaki arched his eyebrows and pursed his lips together. "I-I don't know what to say," she beamed.
The brown haired man smiled, "thank you is okay."

"T-thank you!" She grinned then turned to Hinata. "Heard that Hinata? I finally have a job!"

The pale girl smiled, but it wasn't nearly as genuine as her usual smile. She was happy for Tamaki, she truly was, but she just couldn't express that happiness at that time. She was on a rollercoaster of emotions and she wanted to get off. Maybe it was just an effect of her menstrual cycle, either way she didn't like it. She was slowly becoming an emotional wreck again.

They continued talking and she would interject whenever someone pointed out that she had zoned out once again. The night drew on and soon enough they started leaving one by one. Tamaki was the first to go and Kiba offered to stay back and help her do the dishes but she declined. Soon only Naruto was left by her side.

"I'll help you," he said standing by the kitchen door.

"No need," she said putting on her pink gloves. "You should get going...it's getting late."

"I'm more worried about you than my safety Hinata," he said coming to lean against the counter with his arms folded over his chest.

"Me?" She asked arching an eyebrow. Although she wanted to, she refused to face him since it would only make her flustered. Naruto was dressed in a grey dress shirt which made her wonder just how many he had. His vest was discarded little before dinner was served and so was his tie. He unbuttoned the first two buttons on his shirt and rolled up both sleeves. "W-what are you doing?" Hinata inquired when she felt him pushing her to the side slightly.

"Helping," he said looking through her cupboard for an extra pair of gloves, which she had. He removed his watch and placed it on the counter before putting on the yellow gloves.

"No one ever listens to me," she sighed shaking her head.

"Well that's because you're so cute, most times you just come off as adorable." He said fixing the gloves.

"I am not!" She exclaimed pouting.

"See." He said pointing at her bloated face. "Adorable." She rolled her lavender orbs and reached out to get the sponge. "No no. I wash, you rinse," he said grabbing the sponge. She frowned but complied to his orders.

"Bossy."

"I am not!" He exclaimed being the second time he heard that for the evening.

Hinata giggled and pointed at him, "aww, so adorable." Naruto blushed and looked away.

"No fair."

She smiled, "all is fair in love and-" she stopped after she realized what she'd just said. Her cheeks flushed pink and she waited for him to react.

"And war, I know," he said unaware of her flustered state. "But it all depends on which one is between us." Finally Naruto glanced at her, his cerulean blue eyes widened when he saw her blushing. "Hinata..."

"S-sorry...I-I..." She was at a lost for words. The situation was becoming more awkward by the minute. He dropped the sponge and came to stand behind her. Hinata turned to face him just as quickly, her cheeks still a shade of red. His hands rested against the counter on either side of her, his eyes locking with her. Their actions were no longer as fast as before, instead they both seemed to be hesitant about what would happen next.

The Uzumaki's arms tensed as he slowly leaned forward. Hinata's hands were clasped and they brushed against his chest as he got closer. She didn't push him away nor did she move...instead she allowed him to continue. Why? She wasn't quite sure. For two whole years she'd avoided men...cursed them and yet here she was. She hated men right? She'd never believe in love...it wasn't real. But as soon as Naruto's lips touched her she found her answer. It was because she too wanted him to kiss her.

Her hands were unclasped and began gripping his shirt as she kissed him back. This was it right? It was what she wanted...she could now- Hinata suddenly stiffened and pulled back. The two faced each other with shocked expressions, she was foolish to let this happen. How could she offer herself to someone when she was yet to forget her past? She did little by halves and she could never bring herself to hurt Naruto that way.

What is love?

"I-I... I'm sorry Hinata. I don't-"

She shook her head holding back tears, "it's f-fine, just leave."

Naruto frowned sadly, "Hinata-"

"Please," she bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

"But-"

"Go! Just leave me alone!" She yelled pushing him away. She marched out of the kitchen and towards the door, opening it she stepped aside and waited for him to leave.

Naruto gathered his stuff as quickly as he could before leaving. The two didn't exchange anything on his way out. She looked at anything but him and as soon as he was out she slammed the door shut. As if on cue, she started crying, sliding down the door she wrapped her arms around her legs while sobbing historically.

Why did she bother asking? She already knew what love was.

A beautiful lie.

Nothing more, nothing less and this time she was determined to escape it's clutches. She wouldn't fall apart, not again.

Fragile Hearts | A NaruHina Story
©Infinite_Writer01™2016
Thank you for reading!