Secret Lovers

Chapter 4: The Resolution

Hinata allowed a steady, calming breath to shudder throughout her core. Delicately curling her toes to stand upon their tips, she stretched out the joints in her legs.

She basked in the serene, cool breeze that prickled at the goosebumps of her bare flesh and sifted gently through the loose waves of her hair, spilling over her shoulders. Her body, having been exerted through the manual labour of working in Ino's shop, had grown stiff and Hinata was enjoying the weather's contrast to the muggy conditions they had experienced earlier in the day. More than anything, however, she was looking forward to returning home to a relaxing, warm bath, soothing the fatigue that clenched at her limbs.

Hinata couldn't help but notice a slight pang of guilt surfacing as she thought of her friend and the conversation they had had just moments ago. She hadn't meant to be dishonest with Ino, but the young woman had been persistently hinting at what was a rather sensitive issue for Hinata. It was a discussion that she was in no way interested in having. At least, not for now, and among such company, anyway. At the time, she allowed a mask of utmost confidence in denying Ino's silent accusation that Naruto was simply using her. Yet, in hindsight, Hinata couldn't help ponder over who she had really been trying to convince; Ino, or herself.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Ino, she merely believed that the conversation was one she needed to have with Naruto, first. A conversation that she had been trying to muster the courage to initiate for what had felt like weeks. Truthfully, Hinata did have some doubts about her relationship with Naruto, as well as the man's claims that there had been no romantic chemistry between he and Sakura, resulting in the supposed mutual end of their relationship. If that was the case, then why would Sasuke have mentioned things as being awkward between Naruto and Sakura, just a few days ago? Information he had unknowingly shared with her, as she sat hidden in the stall just a few feet away. It simply didn't sit right with her, there had to be something more to it that Naruto wasn't let her in on. Sasuke was both Naruto and Sakura's closest friend, who arguably knew the pair better than anyone else. He, of all people, would have it on good authority to know whether there were unresolved tensions between them or not.

It was quite a conflicting situation for her. She was overjoyed at the prospect of being with Naruto, the man she had always admired and held a deep affection for. Yet, at the same time, she wasn't entirely sure he was being completely open with her; an ironic thought in itself, considering their relationship thus far had gone on, and continued to, unbeknownst to the majority of their friends. Returning to the soles of her feet, Hinata exhaled deeply once more. She shouldn't be stressing over this right now.. Not when she was trying to unwind. Brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she strolled lazily in the direction of her home.

Perhaps she'd call Naruto later.

.

Naruto's eyes flickered open slowly, his slumber disturbed a low drone, the sound of something rattling. Grumbling incoherently in frustration; half-asleep and not completely aware; he attempted to drown out the noise by burrowing his head further into his pillow, only to notice that the sound grew progressively louder with each repetition. It was if something solid was drilling relentlessly against a wooden surface, what felt like, mere inches away from his head. Blearily cracking his eye open, Naruto glanced to the right in hope of identifying the source of his disturbance.

His phone. It was vibrating repeatedly against his bedside table, alerting him of a call. Naruto released a growl, before sitting up in a rare act of surrender. Normally he would shut it off before going to bed to avoid something like this happening. In the haste to get some much needed rest, however, he must have forgotten. He reached out blindly in an attempt to retrieve the offending object with his free hand; the one not currently occupied with rubbing at sleep-misted eyes. He didn't go as far as to turn the light on beside him, as he planned on immediately returning to sleep after responding to the person on the other line with some rather choice words about socially acceptable hours at which to call someone.

However, upon slipping the device to his hear deftly and grunting out something that vaguely resembled a syllable, Naruto was surprised to not receive a response from the other line. In his half-asleep state, a few befuddled seconds passed before Naruto realised that it was dead. Had he missed the call? Glancing down upon his phone, a large icon of an envelope lighting up his screen informed him that it hadn't been a call at all, but a text. The urge to slap himself across the forehead probably would have been a lot stronger if he hadn't just woken up. Shaking his head in a final attempt to rid the grogginess clouding his mind, Naruto fingers flicked open his inbox, pulling the message onto the screen.

I need to see you

The young man ruffled his hair languidly, blinking at the rather vague message, curious. Even if he had been thinking clearly he wasn't sure he would be able to properly discern the exact significance those words held. Was something wrong? Normally, upon being contacted by a loved one at such an hour, Naruto would instinctively feel concerned, assuming there were in some kind of grave situation. However, the fact that she had merely sent him a text message, suggested that she wasn't facing any kind of immediate, dire threat. Besides, she wasn't alone, she was at home with her entire family. He exhaled slowly in relief, allowing rationality to return and calm his weary mind.

At the same time, though, it was obvious that what ever was bothering her was important. He got the impression it was something she felt the need to discuss face to face, rather than over the phone. After all, if he knew Hinata, and he could say quite confidently that he felt he did, he could imagine she had no intention of sending him that message at such a late hour... Err, early hour. She had probably spent a significant portion of the night debating internally over whether or not to send it, and only just harnessed the courage now. That was Hinata. She did not want to appear a burden to any one of those close to her... Uh, not that he considered a burden or anything. He was more than happy to-

Slap.

Yep, he was definitely awake now.

It was late, and he had been exhausted by the days events. Yet, even in his most selfish moment, he knew he couldn't possibly ignore her. The flash of his screen, the message, the mere knowledge that she needed him, would plague his mind for the remainder of the night, robbing him of any attempt to return to sleep, regardless of how tired he might feel. He was not one to ignore one of his precious people in distress.

Tossing the soft, warm sheets aside reluctantly, Naruto sat up at the edge of the bed, blindly searching for his shoes.

It was going to be a long night.

.

Lights flickered from outside, spreading across the dark canvas of her bedroom ceiling, like reflections of the stars. The only sound resonating throughout the room was the low, calming pattern of her breathing as she lay completely still. Yet somehow, sleep alluded Hinata. It did not matter how comfortably she lay or how heavily her eyes dropped, the thoughts consuming her conscious would not cease. The calming tranquillity and eerie beauty of the night was not enough to set her mind at ease. Frustrated, and on the verge of giving up entirely, Hinata opened her eyes to glance vacantly at her phone, still resting upon her bed side table. The object behind her restless thoughts. She could feel the apprehension brimming in her chest, as she reflected upon the decision she had made moments ago.

There was no way that Naruto would see her message until morning, as he wasn't one to leave his phone in during the night. Not being a confrontational person by nature, Hinata had initially opted to voice her exact feelings about their relationship through a message. This proven especially convenient as she wasn't entirely confident she would have the courage to speak the words in his presence aloud. However, in doing so, she found herself agonising over the most minute phrasing of her sentences, fearing that they may be misconstrued in some way. She wanted to be perfectly clear, though that was difficult to achieve through such a medium. In the end, she knew she couldn't talk the easy way and needed to speak with him, face to face. She wasn't going to allow trepidation to prevent her from confronting this situation appropriately. That way, she wouldn't be have the time to agitate over the phrasing of her words and would be forced to speak from the heart. She had sent a brief message to him moments before her apparently futile attempts at drifting off to sleep, the anticipation she felt for tomorrow depriving her of the luxury.

As Hinata turned over once more, she was distracted by a light rapping against her bedroom window. She ignored it, initially, assuming it was probably just the wind and would pass momentarily. However, it only seemed to grow louder and more incessant the longer she tried to drown it out. She sat up, puzzled and glanced towards the window. Hinata's heart jolted as she greeted immediately by the sight of a wild mop of bright, blond hair and a familiar, sheepish grin. Immediately, she sprang to her feet.

"Naruto-kun! What are you doing?" she protested in horror, opening the window. "Don't you realise how dangerous that is? What if someone saw you? What if you fell, or father were to hear?"

"Don't worry, I made sure I was quiet." He dismissed "Besides, your house is only two stories."

She wanted to be mad at him for doing something so rash and reckless, something so typically Naruto. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't help but feel humbled by the gesture. Given how late it was, she hadn't even expected to receive a reply from the blond until morning, let alone have him come visiting. However, the care and compassion Naruto harboured for those precious to him; for her; had never been more apparent to Hinata than it was in that moment.

"So, are you going to invite me in?" Naruto asked, readjusting his grip on the windowpane. Even with his the colour draining from his fingers and his arms starting to quiver he managed to offer a cheerful grin to Hinata. "I mean, I know I have a pretty high stamina, but I don't think I could hold on forever."

Hinata shuffled forward silently, helping Naruto to manoeuvre the rest of his body through the window carefully... Well, as carefully as possible given the circumstances. He held up his arms to shield his face as he sprawled unceremoniously against the wooden floor. Hinata crouched by his side, offering to help him up, yet the man did not seemed phased.

"I got your message," He began, dusting off the knees of his jeans and plucking out stray twigs caught in his hair. "Is something the matter?"

Hinata opened her mouth to respond, but stopped upon observing the man's dishevelled appearance. His hair seemed messier than usual, his shirt had obviously been strewn on in a haphazard manner and even a few of the notches of his belt were had been left unbuckled. It was obvious that he had left in a hurry after receiving her message, the rather rapid pace at which he was taking in air also suggesting he had run the entire distance from his own place.

She chewed at her lip guiltily, it couldn't have been more than ten minutes since she had sent that message, and he was already here.

"You didn't have to come," she muttered, content to glance anywhere but at the man before her.

"Hey," his voice lowered as he noted her sudden change in demeanour. "What is it?"

"I couldn't sleep," she began, choosing her words carefully, as she moved to stand by the bed. The now open window allowing a cool chill to brush over her shoulder. "There was something troubling me."

"What is it?" Naruto asked, his hand resting gently on her shoulder, shuffling closer. "Come on Hinata, you can trust me... Right?"

"What- what exactly are we?" She blurted out, flinching almost immediately at the bluntness of her words. She revelled however in silent victory, they were out there now.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You know, us... What exactly am I to you?"

"Hey, what's brought this on?" Naruto asked, moving back to furrow his brow at her in confusion. She gazed down in silence, his question remaining unanswered.

"Look," He began, moving closer to Hinata by the edge of her bed. "Everything I said before about Sakura and I, it's the truth. Honestly. Anything that happened between us is in the past... We decided that was for the best, and well... It was. I've never had any regrets about that decision."

"So then why does Sasuke think you're still on bad terms?" Hinata ventured nervously. "Why don't you tell him that that's not the case?"

"I'm not sure when he got the idea exactly," Naruto admitted. "But ever since you and I started sneaking off he thinks I've been trying to avoid Sakura. I only went along with it because it meant I didn't need to think of a cover for what was really going on...I'm not exactly great at this, y'know... Expressing myself with words. For someone who speaks as much as I do I've never really been the most eloquent person, but I do know how I feel about you... You were always so reclusive when we were younger. I kind of found you akward to be around." Hinata glanced away with a flush, but Naruto's arms encircled her waist, serving as a reminder that he was still there.

She could feel the creases of his teasing grin against her shoulder blade, as he nuzzled against her neck affectionately. The indignant expression that had crossed her features moments ago was willed away by the intimacy and sincerity of his gesture.

"Yet, at the same time, there was always something about you that I found... Comforting. I could relax around you. I never felt like I had to prove myself, or fill some kind of mold, around you. Everything I did, just being me... That was enough. All along, it turns that was all I wanted. You gave me the one thing that I had been missing my entire life; love."

"So then... Why does this need to stay a secret?" She whispered, as if reluctant to voice the words aloud. She felt it was the loudest she could possibly possess the nerve to speak them.

She wasn't sure if Naruto had actually heard the words, or if he simply felt her lips brushing against his skin as they formed them. His eyes met her own regardless, recognising the pained expression overwhelming them. The guilt she harboured over daring to nit-pick about something she had desired so openly falling directly into her lap without question. That she would dare, for once, to consider her own feelings. He didn't ever want her to feel as though she wasn't entitled to happiness, or that she was selfish for wanting it. Hinata was anything but selfish. He felt awful knowing that he was the one responsible for provoking such thoughts, yet at the same time compelled to do everything in his power to will them away.

"Maybe... It doesn't." He began, reaching to caress her face gently, feeling his fingers brush against the strands of hair that spilled in front of her eyes."Maybe it's time we let everyone know."

His lips sought her own, gently and with restraint, as if seeking her permission first. Hinata responded with the same tenderness, her hands moving to rest at the back of his neck. Her stomach fluttered over the gesture, unlike anything she had experienced with Naruto before. His kisses were slow and drugging, lacking the frenzy intensity she was normally accustomed to in the brief, intimate moments they shared together. He was talking his time to express the feelings he had failed to communicate before, determined to etch them wordlessly against her swollen lips.

"Hey..." Hinata began as Naruto pulled away, his kisses venturing lower against her neck. "If Ino hadn't interrupted us... earlier. Would you have... you know, gone further?" She had decided that if he was distracted kissing her, perhaps he wouldn't notice the tinge etching her skin.

"Yeah," Naruto answered, his voice thick, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically modest himself.

"Oh," Hinata breathed in response, her heart fluttering excitedly at the prospect of Naruto desiring her openly. She glanced down coyly, her fingers traillng patterns over the bedsheets beneath her. They had never really discussed their desires with one another openly before, usually not being able to afford the luxury of time. Tonight, however, she was determined to change that, wanting nothing more than for Naruto to know the extent of her passion for him. Wanting him to understand it was more than just a fleeting spark. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling dry as she spoke.

"By... By how much?"

Hinata shuddered at the devious smirk overtaking the man's features as he drew nearer, his fingers caressing the bare skin of her hip, exposed by the flimsy fabric of her nightgown. Her arms surrounded his torso, pulling him closer, his body manoeuvring against her own.

"Like I said: I'm not great with words," his voice a rumble against the shell of her ear, sharp teeth grazing the flesh.

The back of Hinata's ankles met the steel frame of her bed and she stumbled, falling softly back against the mattress.

The blonde followed suit, his knees resting on either side of her body, drinking in the sight. His stance was predatory and his expression hungry, as the weight of his toned, masculine form came to rest comfortably upon her own. Even if she had possessed the desire or willpower to resist, there was no escaping him now.

"Why don't I show you?"

.

Sakura was completely drained, the fuel of adrenaline and large caffeine dosages being the only thing currently keeping her upright.

In spite of the early hour, her body was heavy and overworked, making her seem slightly at odds with the rejuvenated, lively individuals around her, fresh and eager to begin their day. She could barely resist the urge to scowl at the bright, carefree expressions she encountered in her path. How could anyone this cheery in the morning?

Sakura kneaded a tired, worn hand through her short tresses, before reaching down to massage the stiff ache in her neck.

Having just worked a double shift at the Hospital well into the ungodly hours of the morning, she was surprised that she had resisted the urge to collapse thus far. Working as an intern, she had more than an adequate understanding of fatigue and its symptoms, and certainly knew the impact a hectic lifestyle such as hers could have upon the human body, yet she persevered. Despite the often relentless, demanding hours she endured, there was no question that Sakura was incredibly passionate about her work. She loved being able to assist others through any illness or injury that ailed them.

When she was younger, she felt as though she lacked direction and had no idea what it was she wanted to do with her life. However, it had been working under the tutelage of her now boss, Tsunade; an old friend and classmate of Naruto's godfather; that had provided her with drive and purpose. The medical field was one she quickly excelled in, attaining the respect and recognition of her peers, and one that helped to boost her confidence as her skills improved. She certainly was able to derive a great deal of satisfaction from helping those in need.

However, this didn't change the fact that it was excruciating work.

She continued to shuffle listlessly down the path, her arms lolling lazily at her sides. Her focus never faltering from its motivation; returning home and getting some well deserved rest. Her eyes were downcast, never lingering from the steady, hypnotic movement of her shuffling footsteps, one after the other. The focus on this task, regardless of how mundane, was enough to distract Sakura momentarily from just how exhausted she was. However, with eyes downcast and not looking directly ahead of her, she collided, inadvertently, with a warm, solid body. Sakura stumbled, bracing for her inevitable collapse against solid ground, but was taken aback, when the same person's arms reached out to steady her.

"Sorry," she mumbled instinctively, though her tone seemed devoid of any genuine emotion. She stepped aside and out of their way, still not looking up, before continuing back down the path as if nothing had happened. The person, however, rather than continuing on their way, had remained rooted firmly in the same spot glancing in her direction.

"Sakura," came the low rumble of the person's voice, an all too familiar pitch that caused blood to rise to her cheeks in recognition. She turned around, somewhat dubiously. It appeared that fate wasn't looking to grant her any favours today.

"Sasuke-kun," she answered in surprise, her body suddenly coming to life as she registered the presence of the dark haired man standing across from her.

He grunted lowly in acknowledgement but offered no verbal response. Sakura's mind was blank and hazy, leaving her at a loss for words. Sasuke was by no means the most vocal, sociable person ever and in the majority of their conversations the burden fell on her to carry it. She wanted nothing more than to break the unnerving silence between them but her current state rendered her powerless to do so.

"How are you?" The man prompted eventually, saving her from having to endure another moment of excruciating silence.

"Fine," she murmured automatically, though her appearance revealed the obvious untruth of that sentence. Sasuke eyed her in disbelief, yet he seemed willing to overlook the lie on this occasion, as he continued speaking.

"How are things between you and Naruto?"

"Eh? Naruto? Why are you bringing him up all of a sudden?"

Sasuke furrowed his brow in disbelief, apparently as taken aback by Sakura's response as she had been by the question itself. "You mean you haven't noticed?"

Sakura blew a stray of hair out of her face in response and folded her arms, her patience wearing thin. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Sasuke speaking so vaguely. The man seemed to pick up on this as he elaborated not too soon after.

"Don't you think it seems like he's avoiding us? I mean, whenever we're all together. He always finds some flimsy excuse to leave out of nowhere."

Thinking back, Sakura had noticed this on occasion. Naruto slinking away quietly with a wave, cancelling plans to hang out at the last minute with incredibly feeble excuses. She hadn't really thought too much of it. After all, she on occasion, had had to leave or forego a get together because of her busy work schedule. It didn't seem incredibly unusual to her that Naruto might be doing the same.

"No, I don't think so," She answered after a moment. "I can't imagine why he would want to be deliberately avoiding us."

"Really?" Sasuke asked, still keptical. "So you don't think he feels uncomfortable around you? You don't think he gets jealous?"

"What are you talking about?" Sakura snapped, "What reason would Naruto have to feel jealous?"

"Nothing," he trailed off, as if regretting his words. He raked his fingers through the dark strands of his hair with a sigh, before turning in the opposite direction as making his leave. "Just forget it."

Sakura's hand caught his forearm, her voice halting any further movement. "Naruto and I don't hold any animosity towards one another, Sasuke-kun. We agreed to stay friends. If he felt otherwise he would tell me, I know he would."

"Tsk," Sasuke scoffed disbelievingly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "If you say so."

.

"Hinata? Hinata! Oi, are you up there?"

The young woman's eyes immediately shot open in terror as her peaceful slumber was rudely interrupted by the sound of Kiba's voice, gradually increasing in volume. He was coming upstairs. She glanced over at the clock resting on her bedside table. 10:17 AM. She had overslept, and apparently, her old, slightly overprotective friend had decided to make an unannounced visit, once again. No doubt with Shino in tow. Panicking, Hinata moved frantically to sit up, only to find her body pinned down by a strong arm encircling her waist.

"Naruto," she hissed, turning to forcefully shake the shoulder of the quietly snoozing blond. "Naruto!"

"Eh?" The blonde muttered in confusion, a trail of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth.

"Hey Shino, are you coming in or what? Oh hey, Hanabi. Is your sister around?"

"Quick," Hinata panicked, grabbing Naruto's and tossing them directly onto his sprawled body. "Get outside before they catch us!"

"Whas' the matter?" he muttered unintelligibly, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. "I didn' think we were hidin' anymore."

"I'd rather not have them find out this way, Naruto!" She exclaimed, smacking him over the shoulder in reprimand. "They'll kill you! Although, that's only if you're lucky enough to escape father unharmed first!"

"What am I supposed to do? Just vault out the window?" Naruto grumbled, half-asleep and attempting to pull his head through one of the sleeves of his T-shirt. He stumbled over the tangle of blankets grasping at his legs, stubbing his toe in the process.

"Well, you didn't seem to have any objections to that last night!" Hinata hissed, as she helped to adjust the shirt over his torso properly, only to notice the tag sticking out clearly from the neckline.

It was inside out.

She cursed, but knew there wasn't any time to fix it. She turned the blond around and, with strength she didn't know she possessed, shoved him towards the window. "Come on, you can climb down the drain pipes unnoticed They should be able to hold your weight."

"Y'know, I've never seen you act so assertively before," Naruto began with a perverse grin, his breath tickling her ear as her turned to face her. "It's actually kind of a turn on-"

"Now is not the time!" she cut him off abruptly, feeling heat pool across her face at his lewd tone, as she deftly unlatched the lock on her windowsill.

"So, same time next week?" Naruto gibed cheekily, leaning in to brush his lips against her own fleetingly. Hinata resisted the urge to grasp her own hair in frustration over how carefree he was acting in a such a situation. She really didn't want her family or any more of her close friends becoming intimately acquainted with the details of her physical relationships first hand.

He had just barely pulled away, slipping the remainder of his dishevelled, half-dressed body out of the window, when a resounding knock came from the other side of Hinata's door. Her heart skipped erratically, she didn't even have the time to answer.

"Rise and shine!" Kiba called cheerily as he bounded through the door exuberantly, a spring in his step not unlike the many canines his family raised.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata gasped, as the man entered her room without consent. Her arms encircled herself reflexively as she remembered that she too was half-naked.

Certainly they were close, and had known each other for a number of years, though this didn't make the situation any less inappropriate. She loved Kiba like a brother, but they weren't children anymore. She was a grown woman and he had a very limited understanding of personal boundaries. She could only imagine what it had been like for his sister, who had grown up in the same home as him. Hinata immediately turned her back to her friend, thankful to find she'd at least been wearing underwear, and began to retrieve her own clothes from off of the floor.

"Hey, what are you still doing asleep Hinata? That's not like you at all." Kiba continued, seemingly not bothered.

"Where's Shino-kun?" Hinata asked, hoping to divert the conversation as far away from herself as possible.

"Oh, I came up by myself, but he should be here any minute now."

"Nice of you to let yourself in announced, Kiba."

"Shino-kun?"

"Shino, my man!"

"Hinata, I have question... What was Naruto doing half dressed and clinging to the ledge outside of your window?"

A/N: Dun, dun, dun. I wonder how Naruto's going to talk-no-jutsu himself out of this one? :D

Anyway, just want to say thanks to all the amazing people who have taken the time to review Secret Lovers. I really appreciate all the constructive feedback I have received! It has also become the most followed story I have posted on this site, so thanks again to everyone who has expressed interested in it. I'm really blown away by the overwhelming response it has received so far. Thanks for sticking with me.

I've actually been getting back into reading NaruHina fanfiction myself recently. Especially seeing as I haven't particularly found the actual manga enjoyable for some time. Ah well... Anyway, anyone have any recommendations? I've already stumbled upon a couple of gems recently in monkkeyslut's Home Is Where the Heart Is and Not Your Cup of Tea's Silence and Secrets, both very well written stories which you should check out if you haven't already. I'd love to be able to read some more though, and I don't really have the time to sift through the mass of stories that make up the Naruto section. So, yeah... Come at me?

Until next time, guys!