Author's Note: Thank you for the all the interest in this story so far. Thank you for all the feedback on this story.
Sorry for the long hiatus. Updates will still be sporadic.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. I do not own the title of the fic; that belongs to Pierce the Veil.
Bedless
'Cause you don't even know you're an angel
Foolish am I for the times I come and go
These stars defy love, so I close my eyes
Over the And sleep inside your worn-in bed outline
-Pierce the Veil
Chapter 5
Hinata
The next morning, Ino called while Hinata was getting ready to open the store. Kakashi had already called to let her know he would be late.
"Word on the street is that you two were spotted at the pizzeria last night when the store wasn't open," Ino said, matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, he came over."
"Really? I want all the details."
Hinata explained everything. This was what normal women did. She felt another surge of pride that maybe finally things were going to go back to the way they used to be.
"Well, according to my latest issue of Cosmo, it seems like he's into you."
"I don't know. I'm not sure I'm looking for a relationship right now," Hinata said, chewing on her lip.
"The people that usually aren't are the ones that find one you know."
"I suppose."
It had been over a year. She wished there was someone else she could talk to, get another opinion.
"Anyway, well just something to think about."
Talk turned to other subjects as Hinata breathed a sigh of relief that the attention was taken off her.
Kakashi
Uzumaki, Hinata.
He flipped through his notebook.
Just a quick Google wouldn't hurt anything, would it?
That name was bothering him.
His phone rang.
"Yello?"
"Hey, how is the big novel going?" Iruka asked, his enthusiastic voice vibrating the phone.
"Iruka, well…it's going," Kakashi said, ready to bang his head on the desk. Any thought of looking into that name went out the window.
"So, I've had an idea for your novel. Just in case you were stuck? See, what if you added a plot twist, where she is really an alien, like the kind from space…?" Iruka continued in this vein for some time. Kakashi sat back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.
It was best if he just let his agent talk. Eventually, Pakkun came and jumped up into Kakashi's lap to be petted.
"So, what do you think?" Iruka finally finished.
"Uh, yeah, I'll think about it and get back to you." His standard answer for these tangents.
"So how is that job going? Must be good according to your earlier email. You think it's going to be done soon?"
"Oh, I think so. It was nice chatting with you, but I've got to get back to writing," Kakashi said, by way of ending the conversation. He knew it sounded like Iruka had more to say, but he hurriedly hung up.
He breathed a sigh of relief as Pakkun jumped down from his lap and ran off.
"Traitor," he called after the dog. "I thought you were going to stay and help me write." Pakkun started barking at the door.
Kakashi guessed that was the secret signal for him to take the pack of dogs out.
"No reason to get your tails in a twist," Kakashi mumbled, abandoning his computer once more and leaving the apartment. The search was the furthest thing from his mind.
Naruto
Over a sobering cup of coffee, Naruto considered his old classmate. Sasuke was writing some things down in a notepad, flicking back through previous notes. The thick casefile was spread out over the table in the small, white interview room.
"Why are we discussing this case?" Naruto grumbled. His head was still pounding from the previous night's activities.
"Your case came across my desk. The station wants results. So I'm reviewing the information, you know, looking for anything new that sticks out. Tell me about the day you came home again."
Naruto tried to remember. It had been a little over a year.
"The house was a mess," Naruto recalled. "Things everywhere."
"Was anything taken?" Sasuke asked, consulting some notes in his pad.
Naruto thought, trying to picture the house on the day his life had completely crumbled beyond his control.
"No," he answered. "Nothing more than some of her clothes." Had he told the police that originally? Probably not. It had been a few months since he had noticed, because it was those old clothes she insisted on wearing.
"Really?" Sasuke scribbled this information down. "What else?"
"Money had been missing. Not much."
That had taken longer to discover, little withdrawals from the bank he hadn't noticed.
"You didn't report these things originally," Sasuke said, consulting an old report.
"I didn't know about them," Naruto snapped. He knew they were trying to make him look like a suspect.
"What else?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto thought back through his police training – notice what sticks out or doesn't stick out.
"The ransacking. Something was wrong with it." He couldn't think what though. If only this damn headache would ease off. When he was drunk, Naruto could think so clearly.
"Let me tell you what we think," Sasuke said. "With nothing of value missing, only a few clothes, and just random, nonvaluable areas ransacked, we have reason to believe that she staged the house and ran. We found no fingerprints besides hers and yours, no DNA evidence that suggests she was abducted as you claimed. The other alternative is that you killed her and tried to cover it up. Is that true, that you murdered your wife Uzumaki?" Sasuke's voice climbed in decibel over this last question.
"What? No, I loved her! I was devastated when she disappeared," Naruto shouted. He stood up from the table very suddenly, fists clenched.
"Just checking," Sasuke smirked. "I did some checking around of surveillance from that time, spoke to her cousin, Neji, and I think she ran. Do you want to tell me why she would run?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Were those rumors true?"
Naruto swallowed and sat down. "Now let me explain," Naruto started.
Hinata
She awoke in a cold sweat from a nightmare. Hinata wasn't sure what had woken her up at first. Trying to block the white noise from her head, Hinata focused on her burner phone.
Neji.
She scrambled out of the bed, fingers scrambling for her flip phone.
"Hello?" she croaked. Glancing at her bedside clock, Hinata realized it was nearly five in the morning. Neji had always been an early riser.
"Hinata." A sigh of relief.
"What was my secret indulgence show as a child?" Hinata asked, just to be sure. They had set up these routine questions to ensure they were speaking on a clear line.
"My Little Pony," Neji answered in a growl.
"What was your secret indulgence as a child?" she asked, listening to the little sounds of impatience coming from the other end of the line.
"Spiderman comics," Neji choked out.
"What's wrong Neji?" Hinata asked, her pulse pounding in her ears.
"It may be nothing," Neji began.
Hinata slumped down on the floor. It was just like her cousin to be mysterious.
"Neji," she all but screamed.
"But Uchiha Sasuke came snooping around about you a day or so ago," Neji told her, keeping his tone business-like.
"Sasuke…" she whispered. All of his family were active in the police force back home. His older brother, Itachi, had been a distinguished, decorated detective before he had been killed in the line of fire during a drug raid.
"Again, it may be nothing," Neji said.
"Or it may be something. What did he ask you?" She felt dizzy.
"Just standard questions. Did I really believe that you were abducted? Have I had any contact with you lately? Did I know where you might have hidden if you were to run away from your marriage? Have I spoken to Naruto lately?"
"Neji, I don't think those are standard questions."
"I didn't think so either, but I gave him vague answers. I tried to leave the impression that I still believed you had been abducted."
"This isn't good." Her stomach fluttered in the way that signaled vomit would be imminent.
"I know. If anyone can figure out your deception, it would be him. This was a recent promotion I believe. Let the rookie try to solve the cold case kind of thing. Don't worry, I'll keep tabs on him as best I can."
"Alright," Hinata answered automatically, voice hollow.
The life that she had carefully built for herself might be coming to a close. Her store. Her livelihood. She would be on the run again. Kakashi. Hinata felt a stone sink to the bottom of her stomach. Just when things were looking up.
"Hinata, promise me you won't run yet?" Neji asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "We don't know anything for sure yet."
Something in his voice made her pause the premature mental preparations of fleeing to a new life.
"Okay," she sighed, breathing deep just like the therapist had shown her, trying to calm the fight or flight instinct. "Okay, I won't."
"Just stay put and wait for more information. This could be nothing."
They exchanged goodbyes.
Hinata glanced at the clock.
Well any chance of furthering sleep was gone. She threw the phone back in her purse and went to go make a cup of hot cocoa.
Big, hot tears make tracks in her cheeks.
If she ran, Naruto was winning. This was her life. She had been stupid for even a moment to think of letting him win, letting him chase her away.