Stupid one-shot that's been floating around my head, hopefully if I get it out and put it up I can go back to concentrating on my studies. I have an essay due tomorrow, 2500 words and I've barely started it.
Unlike my friends I am not a Sakura hater but I needed a badgirl for this story and she fit's the bill.
There are some that say Naruto is dumb, true he was now working as ambassador between Suna and Konoha but people still regarded him with an unusually condescending attitude, he had never been the top of his class and without anyone to really guide him he'd often had working out what people really meant with their words and expressions.He often says that that's the reason why he never noticed Hinata's odd behaviour meant anything. He had never had anyone that would point out the intricacies of the human face and what it could mean, not many other people in the world really blushed so how was he to know that it wasn't illness that made her so red. He liked to think he was making it up to her now, they had after all been married for over a year now. He had a better job than before too.
He liked being ambassador, (another step towards Hokage) and he always had plenty of time to think things through while he stayed in Suna the work was easy just sorting things out for the chunin exams. This time he was thinking a lot about human behaviour.
For some reason he couldn't work out what was bothering Hinata recently, in the last three weeks she had been oddly nervous and jumpy. When he'd asked her to accompany him on his current trip, he had been told to pick someone to go along with him to Suna, she had started an unusual argument about how much she had to do at the academy where she was working. He had apologised (he still wasn't sure it was his fault) and then told her quite easily that he might take Sakura along (they were after all good friends). This had led to Hinata dropping a plate and storming out of the kitchen.
"Women" he muttered under his breath
"Did you just call me 'Woman' Naruto?" the pink haired girl sitting across from him gave him a furious glare
"No!" Naruto shook his head and held up his hands suddenly glad that they were in a public place "I was just thinking about Hinata, she's been acting weird recently."
"Some girls just can't take the pressure, teaching's tough" Sakura shrugged carelessly looking down at the menu in front of her "Have you decided what you're having?"
"Yeah"
It may seem odd to most to be able to sit in a fancy restaurant with a girl not your wife and feel absolutely comfortable but Naruto always did. He treated everyone the same… well maybe he treated Hinata a little better but he was not the type to bother about how things looked to the outside world.
He and Sakura were so busy laughing together that he didn't notice the looks they received from the other restaurant patrons. He barely even noticed that other people were there until someone came to stand by the side of their table.
"Kankuro!" Naruto grinned welcomingly at his friend not noticing the way Kankuro and Sakura glared briefly at each other. "You here alone?"
"No, I'm on a date" Kankuro spoke stiffly "I just though I'd come over to say hi and say that Gaara still isn't finished in the office yet but he'll see you tomorrow for the talks"
"That seems rough on him" Naruto bit his lip "What time will he finish tonight?"
"I don't know" Kankuro shrugged, the work of a Kazekage seemed never ending
"Well I'll make my way over there after dinner, see if I can do anything to help."
"As long as you can drag yourself away from your charming company" Kankuro mocked but once again Naruto didn't seem to notice the malice behind the comment.
"Course! Sakura won't mind!" Naruto shrugged and began to eat his steak a little more speedily.
As soon as he was finished he left Sakura in the restaurant, she had let him go saying that she didn't mind but her voice had been kind of strained… he'd ask her about it later. He smiled as he walked through Suna's dark streets, life was pretty good, ok so some weird things had happened recently. Hinata was acting weird but she'd pull out of it, Tsunade had been making some odd comment about keeping his private life private but he had no clue what she had meant, Neji had been giving him the evils for days and the other day when he's been fighting with Kiba the dog nin had really put him through the ringer but sometimes odd things happen!
Reaching Gaara's office he let himself in without any warning.
"Hey Gaara!"
"Naruto?" Gaara looked up surprised, his frown turned into a small smile "What are you doing here?"
"Just thought I'd see if I could help, c'mon I don't need much sleep, you remember what that was like" Naruto shrugged as Gaara nodded smiling at the in-joke "I'm good at proof reading" he offered
"Here" Gaara threw his friend a scroll and Naruto good naturedly sat down and began to read.
They had been sitting working together for an hour when Gaara stopped and looked at his friend. "Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did…" seeing the look on the redheads face at his lame joke nodded "sure, go ahead."
"What's going on with you? You have a life I would kill for and you're going to screw it all up."
"Huh?"
"Sakura… I get that's she's hot but you need to stop what's going on before you lose everything."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto stared at his friend in utter confusion
"You and Sakura, everyone's talking about it…"
"Nothings going on between us, we're just friends!" Naruto was stunned did people really think that "Who told you this."
"Temari in her last letter, she told me that the entire village think that the two of you are together. They basically think she's been your 'lover' since before you were married, the rumours only started to get to Temari in the last month or so."
"You mean everyone thinks this? Does Hinata think it?"
"She's your wife not mine"
"Surely she'd ask me if she thought something like this was going on?"
"Again. She's your wife not mine."
"Aw man!" Naruto groaned hitting his palm against his forehead "Surely Sakura would have said something about all this?"
"She… hasn't denied it"
"You mean people have asked her about it?"
"Kankuro did, she said that it was her business not his."
Naruto frowned, that was not like Sakura at all, if someone approached her with stupid gossip like this she would have screamed out her indignation for all to hear. "Why would she say that?"
"Have you never noticed how she's always flirting with you or that she makes derogatory comments about Hinata?"
"No she doesn't she…" Naruto paused come to think about it Sakura had recently been a little mean to Hinata occasionally, it was never anything big just little comments that Hinata always seemed tired or looked too pale. "Sakura's not like that."
"Naruto… according to Temari she only started acting like this since she heard about how likely it was that you would become Hokage. Maybe she's a little more scheming than you think."
"I… I'm taking a walk" Naruto stood and left the room dropping the scroll he had been currently reading on his chair. Gaara watched him go feeling guilty, of course he knew Naruto had needed to be told, he needed some sense kicked into him, Naruto was the kind of person that wouldn't notice that this stuff was happening until Hinata had finally had enough and left him.
--
If Sakura noticed that Naruto was acting strangely during their last few days in Suna or on their return to Konoha she never mentioned it. She did seem to notice that Naruto avoided her hug as they parted after handing in their report, she looked offended but Naruto didn't care if he had hurt her feelings. He needed to get home, he needed to see Hinata.
When he arrived home he didn't walk through the door like he usually did announcing his arrival with a bang of the door and a loud shout of greeting. This time he opened the door quietly and slipped into the house, once inside he soon found Hinata, she was in their room facing away from him and out the window whilst lounging comfortably on the bed, her hair was wet and she wore a bath robe, she had obviously just left the shower.
He stood for a moment watching her but then she raised her hand and placing it flat against her cheek wiped something away, her hand moved to the other side of her face where he couldn't see it but he guessed she was repeating the action. There was only one explanation, Hinata was crying.
It cut at his very core to see his wife cry, did she often sit like this?
"Hi" his voice sounded funny as it cut through the silence.
"Naruto?" Hinata had jumped at the sound of his voice and as she now turned there was a suspicious look in her eyes.
"Surprised to see me?"
"No just… you're usually a little more…"
"Noisy?" he supplied seeing her attempts to come up with a more tactful way of saying the obvious
Hinata chuckled and shook her head "I was going to say heraldic."
"I'm going to assume that's a nice thing and never use it in case I'm wrong" Naruto jumped onto the bed making Hinata laugh as she bounced on their comfy mattress "Why are you crying?"
"Oh… I…" truth be told she had forgotten that she was crying, Naruto always managed to do that to her, it didn't matter how low she had been feeling or what the reason for that feeling was, just being with Naruto made her happy. "No real reason"
"Cool" Naruto wrapped his arms around her and kissed her tenderly "though I don't believe you. Why were you crying?"
"No reason" Hinata repeated turning her head so that's he wouldn't face him "please can we just drop it" she looked as though she was going to cry again so Naruto nodded.
"I'll stop asking questions this time but I'm not going to give up, your happiness means everything to me."
"Does it? Does it really" Hinata gazed at him her eyes filled with hope
"You mean more to me than anything else in this world ever has and if someone has made you cry I'm going to kick their asses. Ok?"
"Ok" Hinata nodded her face transformed from it's earlier misery into blissful happiness.
"Good, now come on I'm taking you out to dinner" Naruto jumped off the bed and turned back to face her. "I'm gonna shower and change and then we're going out."
"Alright" Hinata smiled as Naruto kissed her forehead and pulled her up and into his arms. "I haven't had ramen in ages"
"Who says I'm taking you for ramen?" Naruto asked looking offended
"Logical reasoning?"
"That's mean" he pouted as he felt her giggle.
Hinata smiled as she continued to tease him "Common sense?"
"You know you're lucky that I want something other than ramen tonight otherwise I'd take you there just to spite you."
"You're just lucky I love you, most women wouldn't accept ramen as a proper anniversary meal"
"ONE TIME" Naruto moaned loosening his hold on her waist "It was so not my fault! The restaurant lost the reservations and I'm not the one that wanted to get married on valentines day so everywhere else would be full!"
"I know, but it's fun to tease you about it" Hinata was about to slip out of his hold when he suddenly tightened his grip on her and placing one hand behind her head kissed her soundly.
"I love you too Hinata" he whispered as their kiss came to an end.
"I-I'm glad to hear it" Hinata smiled tremulously.
--
In the weeks following his trip to Suna Naruto was a more attentive husband, he was no longer ignorant to the whispers about himself and Sakura and although he treated her the same as ever he was careful not to spend anytime alone with her. At first he encouraged her visits to the house instead of going to hers but one time when Hinata spoke about being a little stressed Sakura had made a comment about how weaker people felt stressed more. The look of pain in Hinata's eyes (which before he wouldn't have noticed) caused Naruto to argue with his friend for the first time in years.
Other people noticed the change in atmosphere but of course gossip is unkind and one day whilst walking home Naruto heard the stories that were exchanged saying that he and Sakura had had a lovers tiff. It made him angry, why couldn't people ever assume nice things?
"Naruto?" Hinata was surprised by Naruto's entrance through the front door "Have you had a bad day?"
"Do you believe it?" he asked suddenly his rage getting the better of him
"Believe what?"
"What everyone says about me and Sakura?"
"Wh-what do they say?"
"Don't pretend you haven't heard those stupid rumours" Hinata jumped as Naruto spoke to her angrily "People think that Sakura and I were… lovers" he spat out the last word distastefully "Well?"
"I…" Hinata seemed to freeze but soon she regained her ability to move and nodded "yes… I, I did believe it, sometimes I still wonder if you and she ever…"
"How could you think that Hinata? Of me?" Naruto's face was contorted with anger "How could you not trust me?"
"Because… It's Sakura, your dream girl, the one you spent years chasing. The prettiest woman in this village, the toughest, the smartest… How could I compare myself to her? There's no comparison."
"You're right there is no comparison" Naruto muttered miserably staring at the nervous woman as she bowed her head unable to look at him. How could anyone compare the beautiful angelic girl before him to the stunning vivacious girl he knew so well. They were so different and one was infinitely better than the other.
"Besides" she whispered "she as good as told Ino that it was happening…."
"Ino? Right" and with that Naruto left the house slamming the door as he went.
She wanted to stop him to call him back but she felt unable to move her legs properly or even to call out. Breathing heavily Hinata slumped down to the floor and began to cry.
--
It had been a quiet day in the florists and Ino was enjoying a comfortable flirtation with Kiba who had dropped in to escort her home when they saw a blond blur storm past the window and towards the door. The bell tinkled above the door as he marched in "Good evening Naruto" Ino greeted her friend easily until she saw his thunderously angry expression.
"What did Sakura tell you about me and her?"
"Um…" Ino bit her lip looking towards her boyfriend nervously
"Don't look at Kiba!" Naruto growled advancing on the poor girl "What did she say?"
"Hey Naruto back off" Kiba moved in between the two blondes anger in his expression "Just because you can't keep it in your pants…"
"There is nothing between myself and Sakura!" Naruto yelled angrily "Hinata doubted me because of what you said" he pointed at Ino "I want to know what happened"
"It's ok Kiba" Ino moved around the dog nin with an impressed expression on her face "I believe him"
"Well I'm glad someone does." Naruto snarled but his anger was abating
"Look… just after you got married the rumours started, you spent so much time with Sakura that people became curious, I heard that some people had asked her about and that she had refused to comment. I thought it was a bit odd, normally Sakura would argue back or hit the person so I asked her about it."
"And…?"
"She said that… she said that you and she had a deeper connection than you and Hinata ever had and that one day Hinata would find out about the two of you, and Sakura would have your name as well as your mind and…. and your body. I didn't tell anyone but when Hinata told me about the baby I had to say someth…"
"Baby?" Naruto asked confused "There's a baby?"
"Damn! You don't know" Ino groaned realising that she could actually loose her job for saying that. "I assumed you had found out and that was why you and Sakura… broke things off."
The obvious occurred to Naruto in a blinding flash "She's pregnant… Oh god" Naruto sighed as he looked at Ino "I bet Sakura didn't know that"
"No, well all active Kunoichi use birth control, I suppose she didn't think it an option."
"How did Hinata get pregnant then?" Naruto asked confused, "if she was on birth control…?"
"Well Naruto" Kiba was feeling decidedly more friendly towards his old friend now "those pills only work 99.99% of the time. If. you're a… healthy couple there's always room for .01%…"
"I guess Sakura thought I'd tell Hinata sooner than I did, I wanted to…, so many times but she was so happy with you."
"I guess Gaara was right, she's scheming, she knew you might tell, even if you didn't talk to Hinata there's Kiba… so when did you tell Hinata all this? Was it a few weeks before I went to Suna?"
Nodding Ino looked surprised "Yes. I told Kiba at that time and I think Neji heard from Hinata… she was crying quite often. Naruto while you were away this time she was round at ours a lot." Ino paused looking at Kiba for help. "She kept saying that she couldn't believe it, that you wouldn't do stuff like that. I didn't disagree with her but when you were gone the gossip got even worse, you went with Sakura, it was everywhere. People were staring at her, whispering, pointing, Kiba hit a few of them but that made things worse. Apparently now people say there's some sort of love pentagon thing going on with us lot"
"I can imagine" Naruto nodded, his next instinct was to go around to Sakura's and yell at her but that would only fuel the gossip mongerers. "I'm heading home… I gotta talk to Hinata."
"Naruto" Kiba stopped him before he left the shop "Sorry I believed everyone"
"Me too" Ino muttered feeling guilty "I should never have told Hinata…"
"It's ok" Naruto shrugged "She would have heard of it somehow, she's not dumb. I'm the idiot in our marriage."
--
It had taken Hinata a few minutes to move from the floor of the living room to the couch. She hadn't really wanted to move but these days she was very conscious that her body was not entirely her own anymore. Placing a hand over her stomach she smiled wistfully, she was beginning to show, anyone with any brain cells would soon work out that she was expecting, even Naruto couldn't be that blind. She was wearing baggy clothes a lot but that wouldn't work for long.
Sighing Hinata laid her head down on the arm of the chair and shifted to get comfortable. She wondered where her husband was, it seemed so stupid that for so long she had been afraid to talk about her husbands 'affair' thinking that doing so would give him the opportunity to leave her. Now not asking about it had caused an even bigger argument, he didn't think she trusted him. She did trust him but the evidence had been piling up and it was so hard not to hear the comments people made. Besides if it hadn't been true she hadn't wanted to tell him that people spoke that way about him, he'd had enough cruel behaviour at the hands of the village with insults and other forms of abuse, she couldn't let him experience that again.
"Hinata?" The door opened, it wasn't as loud as usual nor was it as quiet as the time he had crept into the house on his return from Suna. It was just how a regular person would open the door.
Sitting up Hinata called out to him "I'm in here"
Naruto walked into the room holding a bunch of daffodils in one hand "They're for you" he mumbled holding them out stiffly "You said they were your favourite. That was a while ago though, I don't know if they still are…"
"They are" she took the flowers from him smiling "Thank you"
"It's ok." he smiled nervously at her "I talked to Ino"
"Naruto please don't be mad at her, she was just being a good friend to me and I know she was wrong but…" tears sprang to Hinata's eyes as she spoke and began to track their way down her face. "She could have been right."
"Don't cry" Naruto sat down beside her and wiped at her tears with the cuff of his sleeve "I know, I spoke to her"
"I'm so sorry"
"What for?"
"For doubting you, I was just so… so…"
"Hormonal?" he offered smiling cheekily as Hinata's eyes widened
"You know?" one hand went down to her stomach, Naruto's eyes followed the hand down and soon one of his own hands moved to cover hers.
"Yeah, Ino kinda let slip."
"I'm sorry"
"Why? None of this is your fault!"
"But it is, If I had asked you about Sakura right away I wouldn't have gotten so stressed over this, if I had remembered to take my pill that day the baby wouldn't be in there, If I hadn't been so self-conscious I might not have even believed the rumours…"
"Wait, you forgot to take the pill?"
"Um… yeah, you're supposed to take one everyday… I kind of missed one… or two. It wasn't on purpose, so you see, it's all my fault"
"I see" Naruto smiled "Hinata I don't care." he leaned in to kiss her on the lips before moving their hands away from her stomach and lifting up her shirt "Hello my baby" moving down he kissed her just above her belly button. "I'm your daddy"
"Naruto!" Hinata flushed red as he began to trail kisses up her stomach allowing her loose shirt to cover his head. "Stop it!!"
"Aw" Naruto came out from under her shirt pouting cutely "I was just saying hello to my baby"
"The baby is a heck of a lot lower than the direction you were going in."
"I know" he grinned at her and she laughed covering her face with her hands
"You're incorrigible"
"No I'm not, I'm insatiable" he corrected earning another laugh from his wife "And why wouldn't I be? I have the most beautiful woman in Konoha wearing my wedding band around her finger."
"Really?" Hinata asked nervously "You really think that?"
"Well let me check" Naruto took her hand in his and gazed happily at the wedding band. "Yep there it is…. And if I follow the arm up…" he trailed kisses all the way up her arm "There she is, the most beautiful woman ever, and I know today she described someone else as my dream girl but let me tell her that since the first time I heard her say she loved me she's been my dream girl. Of course not all the dreams are ones she'd approve of…"
"Naruto!" she squealed embarrassed hiding her face behind her hands
"Hinata!" he mocked but then his face became serious "And there is no comparison between you and Sakura because you are infinitely better than her. She never made my heart race, you make my pulse quicken every time I see you. I love you, and only you."
"I love you too" Hinata mumbled feeling very pleased and very embarrassed by the compliments she was getting. "What are we going to do now…? and I mean with the baby on the way!" Hinata added the last part when she saw Naruto's cheeky grin
"We'll have to find a new place, the walls here are paper thin and there's not enough room, this place was barely good enough for you it's certainly not good enough for our baby."
"We have some savings" Hinata offered "we could look for a place"
"Yeah, a house, not an apartment, big, with a garden" Naruto smiled before suddenly frowning "I just wish I could find a way to make all that gossip stop"
"You don't have to, the only reason it upset me was because I was scared it might be true. It can't affect me now. With you by my side I could never be afraid." Hinata smiled tenderly at him and allowed him to gather her into his arms, she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly "Just make sure you tell me you love me a lot."
"Ok but I think I can think of one way of stopping the gossip" Naruto smirked slyly as his wife rested innocently against him "Do you give me permission to try?"
"As long as it doesn't involve hitting anyone then go ahead"
"Good" and saying that Naruto stood swinging Hinata over his shoulder and carrying her out of the room.
"NARUTO!" Hinata squealed at his rough actions, she felt him hold her securely as he made his way along the hallway towards their bedroom. He deposited her on the bed smiling salaciously as he pushed her down "How is this a way of stopping the gossip?"
"The walls in this block are paper thin" he told her with a smirk "how do you think we're going to stop the gossip?"
Ok that's over 4000 words, now I need to do the less than that for my marketing project, wish me luck!!
R&R