Alright, I managed to get this chapter done a bit faster than I expected. It's longer than any of my previous chapters, but that just means there's more to love, right? Anyway, it might be a while before the next one, but I promise it will come eventually!

Oh, and before I forget, Han-Ko and Maki-Zushi, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! You get some digital brownies for reviewing, but I send my love to all my readers!

Chapter 4

Naruto sat in Asuma Sarutobi's philosophy course the next day with blurred vision and sinking feeling in his gut. It had taken him a bit longer than he expected to get home the day before, and thus he had arrived completely soaked to the bone. He had cursed out Kiba pretty bad about the whole ordeal, since he only walked Hinata home so that he could keep his promise to the dog-boy. Sure, it was his fault for leaving his umbrella behind like an idiot, but that was all beside the point. All the blonde was worried about was ending up with a cold for the rest of the month.

Unfortunately, as he stared in the general direction of the blackboard, Naruto knew that things were much worse than he had anticipated. His face was burning up, he so nauseous that he felt like he would lose his lunch any minute, and he felt a distinct chill running down his spine.

Why did he even come to school today? He wasn't exactly feeling any better that morning, but he thought he would be able to tough it out for a few hours. Glancing up at the hazy shape of the clock, though, Naruto knew that he wouldn't last much longer.

What was I thinking? "If I hurry I can get home without even getting wet." What was I trying to prove? Stupid…

Naruto sluggishly shook his head and tried to focus on what Asuma was saying, but it was no use. He could barely understand what the man was saying on a normal day, but with all these other distractions, it was completely futile. Thus, the blonde relented to his body's desires and weakly raised his hand in defeat.

"What is it, Naruto? Do you have a question?" Asuma asked, sounding somewhat irritated at being cut off in his speech.

"Uh… yeah," the vulpine boy said in a frail voice. "May… may I be excused… Asuma?"

The bearded instructor looked down at the student for a minute before giving a heavy sigh. "Alright. Be sure to get the notes from someone tomorrow, though."

"Sure," Naruto mumbled as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

The blonde wasn't sure how he was going to make it home in this state. He didn't have any change for the bus, but there was no way he could walk all the way back to his apartment. These worries were all for naught, however, for no sooner had Naruto shut the door behind him than he finally succumbed to his fatigue and fell unconscious to the ground.

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Hinata had been watching Naruto from across the room throughout the course of Asuma's lecture, he concern growing with every passing minute. She knew it had been stupid to let him run home in the rain like that, and seeing the blonde in such a weakened state only confirmed her suspicions. It didn't make any sense to her why he didn't just go home. He wasn't going to get better without any rest. And what about Kiba? Why didn't he tell Naruto to stay home that morning? Then again, would Naruto even listen if he did?

Just as these questions were passing through her mind, however, Hinata saw the blonde's hand slowly rise and felt somewhat comforted, thinking that he might finally get some much-needed rest. When the Hyuuga saw Naruto rise from his chair, his limbs shaking somewhat under the sudden wait, her concern increased twofold.

Thus, it was with a sense of urgency that Hinata felt her hand shoot up just as the blonde left the room. She did not even wait to be called on, but instead interrupted Asuma with an unusually strong voice.

"Asuma, may I be excused as well?" Hinata started, only to back off somewhat in embarrassment before continuing. "I mean, I'm worried about Naruto going home alone in his condition."

The gruff teacher stared at the Hyuuga, mouth agape at the shock of hearing the shy girl speak so assertively, if only for a moment. "Yes, you're probably right, Hinata. Thank you for being heads up."

"Thank you, Asuma," Hinata responded as she grabbed her belongings and rushed for the door, hoping to catch up with the sickly blonde.

Naturally, the Hyuuga had no need to hurry, for upon bursting into the hallway she tripped right over Naruto's limp form, sending her books and papers flying into the air. Once Hinata realized what had happened, she picked herself off the ground and rushed to the vulpine boy's side, hoping that she hadn't made his condition any worse.

"N-Naruto, are you… are you okay?" she asked, shaking the blonde slightly as she spoke.

"Hmm, Hinata?" Naruto responded in confusion as he opened one eye halfway. "What's going on?"

"Y-you mean you don't remember?"

When the fallen boy shook his head slightly, Hinata's concern suddenly escalated to unprecedented levels. He's worse than I thought. I have to get him home right away before something serious happens to him.

"Come on, Naruto," Hinata ordered as she tugged gently on the blonde's arm. "I'm taking you home."

"What? No, I can make it on my own," Naruto said meekly once he was up on his feet. "No need for you to miss class because of me."

Naruto turned and gave Hinata a distinctively forced grin before starting for the exit. After only a few steps, however, he soon stumbled forward once again, forcing the Hyuuga to rush to his side once again.

"Naruto, I'm coming with you and that's final," Hinata said firmly as she lifted the blonde back onto his feet.

It took them a moment to actually get a good balance, but soon Hinata was successfully guiding Naruto through the hallway, with the vulpine boy's arm wrapped around her shoulder for support. As they made their way out of the school, the shy Hyuuga began to question whether this was actually a good idea, as she was already beginning to falter under Naruto's weight. At the same time, though, the girl felt that she could not abandon the boy of her dreams in his hour of need, and so she ignored this physical strain and pressed on.

They did not move at a particularly fast pace. It was clearly difficult enough for Naruto to even stand, let alone walk, and Hinata slowed down to match his own speed. Thus, what normally would have been a fifteen-minute walk was drawn out to a full hour filled only with the sound of Naruto's labored breathing.

For whatever reason, though, it was not at all awkward for the Hyuuga. The love struck feeling that had dominated their walk home the previous day had fled and was now replaced by worry. There was no time for her to admire the blonde as he limped along beside her; all that mattered was making sure he got better, and forcing Naruto to speak would not help at all.

Thus, it was only when they came to the apartment complex that the vulpine boy spoke up, though his voice was clearly strained. "It's the third one… on the second floor."

"Do you have the key?" Hinata asked, as they slowly made their way up the staircase.

"Yeah, just a sec," Naruto responded as he procured the key from his pocket.

Hinata took the key gratefully, but did not say another word, fearing that it would prompt the boy into speaking again. Once they had reached Naruto's apartment, she quickly unlocked the door and helped the blonde inside before laying him down gently on the couch.

"Thanks… Hinata," Naruto murmured with a sigh of relief. "I think I can handle things on my own now…"

"Naruto, you're sick; I can't leave you alone unless I'm sure you'll be alright," the Hyuuga said as she pressed a hand to the blonde's forehead. "Oh my, you're burning up!"

"I'm fine, really, Hinata," Naruto insisted, though his feeble attempts to push the girl away said otherwise. "I just need to get some rest."

"Don't talk; you'll only strain yourself and make things worse," Hinata said in a worried, if stern, tone. "Here, lift your arms up over your head."

Naruto eyed the girl curiously for a moment before obediently raising his arms, though it was no easy feat in his current state. Once he had done so, Hinata grabbed the base of his heavy t-shirt and quickly removed it, tossing it onto the floor as she moved further south.

"Umm, Hinata, what are you doing?" the blonde asked warily as the Hyuuga pulled off his shoes.

"You have a horrible fever, Naruto," Hinata explained flatly. "It'll only get worse if you're all bundled up like this."

Before the vulpine boy could protest any further, Hinata swiftly removed the boy's orange pants and added them to the pile. What else are you supposed to do when you have a fever… water! That's right, lots of water.

The Hyuuga quickly removed herself from Naruto's side and made her way into the kitchen, where she found a glass that she instantly filled with water. From the other room she could hear the blonde whining about it being too cold, but she simply ignored this as she soaked a nearby washcloth in some cool water. It was hard, knowing that that her Naruto was suffering, but she could not give in to his complaints. Unless they managed to control his fever, there was no telling how bad his condition could get.

"Here, Naruto, drink up," Hinata ordered as she handed over the glass of water. When he finally did take a sip, the Hyuuga proceeded to place the washcloth on the blonde's feverish brow, saying, "Now, try and get some sleep, okay?"

Naruto merely nodded in response, prompting Hinata to turn and head towards the opposite side of the room. After a few steps, however, she heard the blonde call out in his pathetically faint voice, saying, "Hinata…"

"Yes, Naruto?" the Hyuuga responded, looking back at the vulpine boy with concern.

"Thanks."

Once this single word had left the blonde's mouth, his eyes sealed shut and his pained breathing steadied as he drifted off to sleep. Hinata was glad that he had, because she was relatively certain that anything she said would have ruined that perfect little moment.

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She sat for roughly an hour in Naruto's apartment, just watching the boy as he slept, with only occasional breaks to remoisten the washcloth on his forehead. He looked so peaceful, lying there on the couch, a thin stream of drool oozing from the corner of his mouth. He looked so peaceful, in fact, that Hinata momentarily forgot how sick he truly was, causing her concern to momentarily drift to the back of her mind.

It was in that moment that it suddenly struck the Hyuuga: she was in Naruto's apartment. How hadn't she noticed it before? Was she really that focused on the blonde's well being? Whatever the case, Hinata decided that now was the perfect time to actually explore her dream boy's humble abode.

As it turned out, she did not exactly have a whole lot to explore. The apartment was essentially broken up into four rooms: two bedrooms, a bathroom, and one main living space. In spite of this fact, though, Hinata made it a point to take in every little detail. She memorized every single movie that was on the shelf, never once questioning which belonged to Kiba and which belonged to her beloved Naruto. Just a quick glance at the titles made that all quite evident.

Monty Python- That's Naruto's. Pulp Fiction- That's Kiba's. Enter the Dragon- Naruto's…

The same process went with the blonde's videogames, and music, and every other piece of media in that living space. As insignificant as they all seemed, to Hinata it felt as if she was getting to know the boy just by browsing his collection. Even the stacks of instant ramen in the kitchen had a sort of majestic quality to the Hyuuga, who decided to briefly sort through them all, trying to learn which brands and flavors were his favorite.

Before long, however, Hinata came to the one part of her little exploration that she had been purposely avoiding: Naruto's room. She wanted nothing more than to enter into his domain, to get that one step closer to truly understanding who the blonde was.

As she made her way down the narrow hallway, however, Hinata could not help but feel a bit of guilty in what she was about to do. On the one hand, Naruto had let her into his apartment, so there was no real reason to think that his room would be off limits. But, then again, Hinata knew that she was betraying his trust by intruding on his personal space. Soon, the Hyuuga was simply standing at the end of the hallway, he hand on the cold, metal knob, her heart pounding at the prospect of what was waiting on the other side.

Alright, this is the moment of truth. Forgive me, Naruto…

Thus, with a deep breath, Hinata slowly cracked the door open and peaked inside. As she finally stepped inside, however, the curious Hyuuga felt that something was wrong. From the posters of bikini-clad women covering the walls to the various articles of clothing scattered across the room, all swathed in a fine layer of hair, every little detail about the area made one thing perfectly clear: she was in the wrong room.

Of course! This must be Kiba's room. Strange, I don't remember him saying anything about having a dog.

Just as that particular thought crossed her mind, a distinct growling sound arose off to the side, causing Hinata to freeze up in terror. Looking over, she found a small, white puppy approaching her slowly, its teeth bared in a pathetic attempt to look fierce. The Hyuuga was not concerned for safety, however, but was instead worried that the inevitable barking frenzy would awake the blonde in the other room.

"Ssh, quiet doggy," Hinata said pleadingly as she backed towards the door. "I'm leaving, okay? Just… stay quiet."

Before the poor girl could shut the door, though, Akamaru began to yip in an excessive manner, forcing Hinata to cringe at the thought of being caught in such an incriminating position. How was she going to explain why she was in Kiba's room? She didn't even know why she was in there herself!

As she rushed back to the living room, however, Hinata found that her fears were all for naught. Naruto was still fast asleep, even though Akamaru's high-pitched barking could still be heard from down the hall. She let out a sigh as she knelt down on the floor beside her precious blonde, thankful that she had not ruined her chance to be with him, if only for a while. It was only once she had regained her composure, however, that Hinata finally realized what was lying before her. Somehow, while she was so caught up in treating the blonde and exploring his apartment, she had failed to notice that she had left him in a rather exposed state on the couch.

This isn't right. Naruto's sick, I shouldn't be treating him like eye candy. I need to just look away and…

In spite of her best efforts, though, Hinata's curiosity ultimately prevailed and, her face burning red with embarrassment, she thus proceeded to survey the half-naked blonde as he slept. Everything about the boy was better than she had imagined, from his slightly protruding chest to his smooth, flat stomach, and Hinata wanted nothing more than to be able to feel his skin against hers, to be as close as physically possible. For the moment, though, she knew that this was out of the question, and instead continued to watch her precious blonde in admiration.

How was it even possible for one person to be so perfect? To have those beautifully soft eyes, that distinctively bright yellow hair, and that perfect body that managed to be titillating without having that intimidating, muscle bound appearance. Even his skin had that ideal, light tan that enveloped his body, save for what was underneath his heart-patterned boxers; Hinata could only imagine what things were like down there.

Easy, Hinata! Get a hold of yourself! Breathe in… breathe out…

Once she had snapped out of her momentary daydream, the Hyuuga forced herself to look away from Naruto's concealed nether-region and instead turned her attention back to the blonde's sleeping face. Instead of finding a peaceful, slightly drooling countenance waiting for her, however, Hinata discovered that Naruto's brow was covered in sweat, in spite of the fact that his fever had since receded, and that mouth had contorted to a slight grimace. For a moment, the pale girl thought that the washcloth on his head might be bothering him, but upon removing it she found that Naruto only began to turn restlessly on the couch as he murmured some indecipherable phrases.

As she watched this pitiful scene play out before her, Hinata felt at a complete loss about what she should do. While she knew that Naruto would only get better if he rested, it was quite evident that he was in greater torment in his sleep than he was while awake. After vacillating on the issue for a few brief moments, Hinata finally decided to wake the boy, and thus began to reach down to shake him out of his nightmare. Before she could lay a hand on the blonde, however, he suddenly sat up on the couch, tears streaming down his cheeks as he yelled, "Get away from me!"

While Naruto's words seemed to hang on the air, Hinata simply sat in silence, staring blankly at the boy's pained face. Is he talking to me? Should I leave? Should I say something? It seemed like an eternity to the poor Hyuuga as remained rooted to the floor, praying that Naruto would actually speak. A few seconds was all it really took, though, for the blonde to become aware of his surroundings once again, and it was not very long after that he recognized the pale figure in his midst.

"You're still here, Hinata?" Naruto said meekly as he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. "How long was I out for?"

"Oh… only for a couple of hours," the Hyuuga responded, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"I see…" the blonde said, though it was clear that something was eating away at him. "Did I… say anything when I was asleep?"

"Well, yeah… umm, as a matter of fact you did," Hinata said as she tried to find a delicate way to address the situation. "You said, 'get away from me…'"

"Damn, I was afraid of that," Naruto said with a heavy sigh as he slouched back on the couch. "I didn't mean you, if that's what you were thinking, okay?"

Okay, so he doesn't hate me… that's a relief.

"Oh, I figured that it was just a dream," the Hyuuga lied as she inched closer to the blonde. "But, Naruto… who were you talking to? I mean, if it's a secret or something that's fine, but if I can help in some way, then-"

"It's fine, Hinata," Naruto interrupted with a forced, yet reassuring smile. "I guess it wouldn't be right to leave you in the dark after you've done so much for me today."

"Please, I don't want you to feel obligated to tell me anything, Naruto. It was my decision to help you, anyway, so if you're not ready-"

"Hinata! It's okay!" the vulpine boy interjected once again, his voice somewhat raised to cover the Hyuuga's ramblings. "I… I want you to know."

He wants to tell me? Maybe he's still delirious. But if that's the case, I still have to stay and make sure he doesn't hurt himself, right? So, either way, I should just listen to what he has to say…

"Did I ever tell you about my parents, Hinata?" Naruto asked as he stared up at the smooth, white ceiling. "You know, who they were and stuff?"

Well, no… but, then again, you'd have to have been living under a rock not to know about the famous Kyuubi murders…

"No, you never did," Hinata said, feeling a bit uneasy about where the conversation was headed.

"Well, my mom was a straight-A student in high school, ready to head off to college and study medicine. My dad dropped out of school at seventeen and started working at a local gas station. They met at a little club downtown; apparently he used some cheesy pickup line, and it was love at first sight.

"They kept on seeing each other for the next couple of months, going to movies, having dinner, stupid things like that. He would always pick her up in his rundown pickup truck, and they'd go drive down to the lake and watch the sunset over the water. That was her favorite spot; she said that's when she knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with my dad, was the first time he brought her there.

"That's so romantic," Hinata said, having completely forgotten just whom she was talking about.

"Yeah, apparently that's what she thought, 'cause nine months later I was born," Naruto said, his voice filled with resentment. "They'd already been married for a few months, of course, but my mom had to drop out of school to raise me. My mom's parents refused to give us any help; hell, they wouldn't even talk to us. My dad's parents weren't exactly any better, so we were pretty much on our own. They had to move in to a small, one bedroom apartment downtown… come to think of it this place seems like a mansion by comparison. My dad had to take on a second job across town as a janitor, 'cause, really, how many jobs are there for a high school dropout? And that's how things were for the first two years of my life."

"How do you remember all of this, Naruto?" Hinata asked, awed by the detail of the blonde's story. "I mean, you were so young…"

"I managed to piece it together over the years from photographs, dreams, pretty much anything I could find," Naruto explained, though he was apparently to lost in thought to give the subject the attention it deserved. "Anyway, right around my second birthday things started to fall apart. My dad started drinking, and it got to the point where he would stumble home around two or three in the morning, wasted. I can remember waiting up for him some nights, standing by the window, hoping to see him come walking up the street.

"Sometimes he wouldn't come back at all. He'd be gone for days, sometimes only stopping by with enough money to pay the bills. My mom confronted him about this one night and he beat her to a pulp. I remember she came to feed me the next day and I was horrified by all of the cuts and bruises on her face. She never brought up money with my dad again, and over the next six months the gap between his visits grew, until I sometimes forgot that I even had a dad at all."

Oh no, this is it. Should I stop him? I've never heard him talk about his parents like this before. Not even with Kiba. What if he's not ready… I can't let him do this.

When Hinata opened her mouth to protest, however, she found that no sound could come out. Her need to learn about Naruto, to hear his past overwhelmed any other concerns she might have. Thus, she continued to sit with an attentive stare, her gut twisting with the knowledge of what was to come.

"And then it happened," Naruto continued with an enigmatic tone. "April 10, 1993; to think it's really been that long. Anyway, it was just a day like any other, really. Dad had stopped by a few days before to give us his "pound of flesh." My mom and I were just sitting around in our tattered clothes 'cause, really, with only fifty dollars a month, you kind of run out of options. Right around nightfall it started storming outside, rain beating against the windowpane, flashes of lighting illuminating the streets below. I was scared and crawled into my mom's lap as we watched the storm.

"That's when he came. It wasn't unusual for him to come home unannounced like this, but I remember there was something a little… off about him. I think it was his smile. We only had one light on, to save on the electric bill, but I could definitely see his face, and that smile scared me more than any storm ever could.

"My mom must have known what was coming, because as soon as she saw him enter the room, she told me to run. I was confused, and could only watch in terror as my dad pulled out his knife. It wasn't any small knife, either, it was something more like a long, kitchen knife. My mom kept yelling at me to run as she held him off, but my legs were frozen. And that's how I saw it, quivering in the corner. My dad broke free, and stabbed my mom right in the chest. That was all it took, that one stab. My mom didn't even have time to scream.

"That silence haunts me still, more than the image of her falling to the floor, her eyes glazed over, more than the sight of her blood covering his knife; just that silence. Nobody cared that she was dead, the world didn't stop. I couldn't even say anything; I just watched the whole thing from the corner. Even to this day, I can't be sure if at that moment I cared whether she was alive or dead. All I knew was that I was scared and I wanted it all to be over."

Why is he still talking? Why does he insist on reliving that night?

"It didn't end there, though," Naruto continued in his unusually stoic manner. "No, he just stood over my mom's dead body for a minute and then set his sights on me. That's what I was dreaming about; that moment when our eyes met and I felt like I was staring at the devil himself. He didn't kill me, though; he just walked over to me and picked me up in his bloody hands. I didn't resist, either… I just let him throw me over his shoulder, like I was a piece of luggage or something. I remember when he turned to leave the apartment, I saw my mom's still eyes staring straight at me as he shut the light off. I don't know how to explain it, but… it was like, even in death, she was in pain…

"I didn't have a jacket or anything that night, so I got soaked pretty quickly out in the storm. I wasn't sure of where we were going or what was going to happen, and I'm still not sure what was going through my dad's mind. We walked across town in the storm, though, and the whole way he didn't say a word. He just pressed on with that bloody knife in his hand, determined to finish his deed.

"There was no one out that night, for some reason… it was like they knew not to get involved. It probably took us a good hour of walking, but soon we came to another apartment complex, one a bit nicer than ours. He didn't waste any time, either; he set me down, broke down the first door he found, and set to work. Three people in that house: a woman and her two daughters. They were watching television. The girls screamed, the mom fled to the kitchen, and my dad followed. When I think about it, I'm sure she was trying to call the police, but she couldn't get past 9-1. Cut across the throat. That's how she went down, blood splattered on the white kitchen walls. My dad went after the girls next, though they weren't really a challenge for him. They were just cowering in the corner. He grabbed the older girl first and stabbed her three times, one in the chest, one in the stomach, and one in the back. She had enough time to scream, enough time to feel that blade slice through.

"The younger girl ran, though… ran right for the door. That's where I was. I guess she didn't see me, because she bumped into me and fell to the ground. My dad caught up then; pulled her up by her arm so that he could look her in the eye. She couldn't have been older than five, but my dad didn't care. He… he slit her throat, right in front of me. She didn't die right away either. I remember, he dropped her to the ground, and for a few seconds she turned to me, and I saw a tear run down her eye. She didn't have the time to mourn the loss of her mom and sister… she had all of that taken away from her, Hinata! And it's my fault! I was in her way! If I… if I had just moved, she could have run to the police and told them. She could have ended all of that, but instead… I killed her!"

As Naruto burst into tears and began to weep in torment, Hinata felt at a complete loss for words. What was there to say, really? He had just poured his heart out, telling her his darkest secret, the most painful experience in his life. Nothing she could say would ever heal that wound. No words could ever do justice to what Naruto went through that night.

"We… we went to three other houses that night before the police came," the blonde started once more as he struggled to withhold his sobs. "Three houses, ten people, all killed in the same way. Some tried to put up a fight, but my dad… he didn't care. He even took a bullet to the chest at the second house and kept moving, driven by his thirst for blood. And every time he took another victim, I was there standing in the doorway to watch. I couldn't even look away. I was just so… scared; I thought if I looked away for even a second I'd end up just like them.

"When the cops finally came, my dad… he had just finished killing a young couple in their sleep. They broke into the room and gave him one warning to put the knife down. Instead, he pulled me in and put the blade to my throat, right beneath the chin. I could feel it there, the cold, bloodstained steel against my skin. I was sure I was going to die, but the police didn't waste any more time. They opened fire, shot him three times in the head. I can remember his blood running down on top of me as he fell back, though I was more focused on the knife falling to the ground.

"That was the end of Kyuubi's infamous rampage. The police cleaned me up down at the station. 'Everything's gonna be alright, little fella,' they kept saying, like everyone was going to come back to life, like that girl was already back at home with her mom and sister, watching TV like nothing ever happened. I knew they were wrong, though; they were all gone. Every one of those people were lying in their homes; cold, still, and covered in dried blood.

"I stayed at the police station for three days while they tried to find me a home. No one would take me in, though, so they finally sent me away to the orphanage. I never really got over what happened… I still wonder if there was anything I could've done, something that would've saved all those people. It… it just hurts, you know?"

Hinata stared at the blonde, tears welling up in his eyes, and felt a very strong pang in her heart. This was his secret. This was what he had been living with all these years. She had known about Kyuubi, but it was so different hearing Naruto actually talk about it. To know what he felt, what he still feels… it made it all seem so real. How could he still go on with that weighing down on him? Hinata had always admired the vulpine boy's courage, the way he never gave up, how he always managed to grin even in the darkest times. To think that behind that smile was such a tormented past… it gave a whole new meaning to word strength.

The silence between the two lasted for a few minutes, each looking at the other and saying with their eyes exactly what needed to be said. Hinata's expressed her sympathy, the pain that she felt for the blonde, while Naruto's showed the anguish in such a raw, poignant form that it made the Hyuuga's stomach churn. Finally, the pale girl rose to her feet and gazed down at the blonde, unsure of what exactly she should say.

"Naruto, I… I'm sorry… sorry that I made you go through all of that again. If it's any consolation… I don't think there was anything you could've done. I'm sure that doesn't mean much to you, but… it's how I feel," the Hyuuga said, frustrated that she could not express her sympathy for the blonde. "M-maybe I should just go…"

"Wait, Hinata," Naruto said softly as the girl turned to leave. "I need you here. I… I don't want to be alone."

Hearing these words, the Hyuuga turned back to the vulpine boy with a sigh and took a seat beside him on the couch. After a few quick adjustments, she soon found herself with Naruto's head lying cuddled up in her lap. They sat like that for a while without saying a word. It could have been an hour, it could have been a few minutes; Hinata didn't care. All she was concerned for was comforting her Naruto, showing that she cared, that she could be there for him. Apparently her message got through, because right before the exhausted blonde fell asleep, she saw a slight smile cross his face, and even though it was small, that one sign of happiness said more than words ever could.

Poor Naruto! He always has it so tough... anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I encourage you to review. Even simple little comments are great motivation to keep writing!