Fragile Hearts: Twenty-Five

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Why are you doing this?" Hinata asked throwing herself down on the couch.

Neji placed his hands on his hips, "it's for your own good."

"What?"

"I heard all that you've been going through here and I think going home for a few days will do you some good," he explained.

Hinata sat gaping at her cousin, unable to believe his words. "You think seeing Father will do me some good?" She asked narrowing her eyes at him.

The brown-haired man sighed and sat down, "if not for your father then for your sister at least. When was the last time you saw her?"

The pale girl sank in her seat and thought of what he'd just said. It was true that she hadn't seen Hanabi in ages and she missed her dearly, but could she really take the chance of seeing her father so quickly?

"You should still try to salvage your relationship with your family...before it's too late."

Naruto's words were on replay in her head just then which made her feel like she was at a loss. It was two to one and the worse part was that she knew they were right. For how long could she put off meeting her family? It was ridiculous and childish on her part and a bit unfair on theirs. Granted they didn't want to see her, but it was only because they didn't know the full story, which again was her own fault.

"Fine," she sighed in defeat. "When are we going?"

"Tomorrow."

"W-what?" She asked with side eyes. "So soon?"

Neji nodded and sighed then sat beside her, "what difference does it make if it's tomorrow or next week? It's bound to happen and face it, you'll never truly be ready."

Hinata always hated her cousin for one main reason, the fact that he was always right. She was never able to win an argument against him and it made her a little irritated at times. "Fine...I-I'll tell N-Naruto-kun."

"Why?" Neji frowned.

"He promised he'd accompany me when I decide to go home."

"But Hinata, do you really think this is necessary?"

"Neji-nii I'm not going unless he comes along," she said folding her arms over her chest.

Neji got up and rolled his eyes, "fine. But he's your responsibility."

The midnight blue haired girl cracked a smile, but as soon as he left it fell. Thoughts of what would happen once she met her father kept going through her mind and of course none of them were positive. "Why me?" She whispered looking up at the ceiling.

How am I going to tell Naruto-kun? He probably has a lot of work to do and stuff planned for tomorrow...there's no way he'd drop everything for me.

Hinata didn't go bed early that night; she showered and got ready for bed but was unable to sleep. Again she found herself seated in her living room with a blanket due to the low temperature the night had. It was after eleven in the night and she assumed that he was already asleep but still she decided to call.

The phone rang three times and she was sure he wouldn't answer, but then he picked up sounding sleepier then ever. "Hello?"

She smiled from hearing his voice and squeezed her eyes shut from the shivers it sent through her. "Did I-I wake you?"

"No."

"Yes."

"Okay maybe you did," he said and she could hear him shuffling around in his bed.

She wrapped herself in her blanket, "you always try to make me feel better by lying."

"Not always," he retorted. "Besides, I'm not complaining about you waking me up in the middle of the night Hinata."

"Naruto-kun," she started.

"Hmm?"

Her lavender eyes glanced around her living room. "I'm going home."

"What do you mean?"

Hinata frowned, "Neji-nii wants me to go home with him to meet my family."

"That's great...right?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"I-I don't know."

"Hey, it's okay, nothing will happen," he said softly trying to calm her down.

Tears filled Hinata's eyes when she remembered the way her father had spoken to her the last time she saw him. He made her feel like she was a disgrace to her own family just because she didn't do as she was told. He disowned her and for her there was nothing worse.

"H-how are you so sure?"

"Because I'll be there," he said in a serious tone which made her feel safe.

"It's tomorrow."

"So?"

"Don't you h-have work?"

He groaned, "Shikamaru can cover for me and I made a promise to you Hinata and I'm not one to break promises." A small smile graced her lips regardless of the tears that threatened to spill.

"I don't deserve you," she whispered, but unfortunately he heard it.

"Don't say that."

"It's true."

Naruto sighed, "you deserve someone better than me and don't argue with me in this because it's the truth."

The pale girl placed her feet on the couch and laid back against one of her many throw pillows. "Why are you so good to me?"

"What would be my reason for not being good to you? You mean a lot to me Hinata, don't forget that."

Her heart seemed to skip a beat and it was as though time froze for both of them. "I don't think you'll let me," she replied causing him to chuckle.

"You're right, I won't," Naruto said and she could hear the joy in his voice. There was a moment of silence before he continued, "I'll come by early tomorrow morning then?"

"Sure, though I think Neji-nii is planning to take the train to Kyoto."

"...I could just drive you guys..." The blonde said trailing off hoping she wouldn't turn down his suggestion.

"Wouldn't that take a longer time?"

"Yeah, but it's cheaper," he said highlighting the advantage of him driving them.

Hinata pulled her lips into a thin line and thought about what he said. True it would be a whole lot cheaper, but she didn't want to take Naruto for granted. "I-I don't know..." She trailed off looking at the ceiling in the darkness.

"Come on Hinata, I want to do this."

She sighed and tightened her hold on her phone, "I'll talk to Neji-nii about it in the morning."

"Okay. How long will the visit be anyway?" He asked.

The pale girl shrugged although he was unable to see her, "I don't know really...b-but you can leave whenever you want to...I don't want to keep you from your work."

"It's fine," the blonde replied. "I needed a holiday anyway."

A small smile graced the Hyūga's lips as she listened to Naruto rant about work. She wasn't really worried about her job, knowing that Shino had everything covered. In a way she felt that Neji was right, she needed a break, though seeing her father didn't quite qualify as one. Nevertheless it was time away from the people she was constantly around...namely Tamaki and Kiba. She really didn't want to have to deal with their drama at that time and so visiting her family was the perfect opportunity to get away. Also Tenten also lived in Kyoto meaning she'd finally get to meet up with her instead of having her take time off work to visit her. In all, it was a win/win situation.

"You seem excited," the midnight blue haired girl said.

"Really? I'm...a bit nervous to tell you the truth."

She arched an eyebrow, "why? If anyone should be nervous it should be me."

"Meeting the father of the woman you love is never easy," he said casually which rendered her dumbfounded. Besides the fact that he'd just hinted to his love for her, Hinata also envied his ability to express himself so freely. He always spoke his mind and for her that was something she wanted to be able to do for almost half her life. To speak without having regrets or considering other's feelings...she never got the chance.

"You're the-"

"Oddest creature, I know," he said finishing her sentence. "You never let me forget."

She smiled and closed her eyes, "y-you should go back to sleep."

"No way, you woke me up, now I'm fully awake...plus I want to talk to you for a while longer," he whined on the other end.

Hinata chuckled and sat up, "you'll see me tomorrow."

"That's not good enough."

"Naruto-kun I need to sleep."

The blonde sighed and rolled his eyes, "fine."

She got up and marched to her room with her blanket, "goodnight."

"Goodnight, sleep well Hinata," Naruto said.

"You too." With that said she waited a few moments before ending the call. Placing her phone on the bedside table she got in bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. She felt a lot better and a bit more confident about her visit to Kyoto in the morning, which reminded her that she needed to pack. Overall she felt ready to face her family's fury as long as Naruto was by her side.

Slowly, he was becoming an essential part of her life.

Fragile Hearts | A NaruHinaStory
©Infinite_Writer01™2016
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