Still alone up here. This is boring! –looks around– If I don't get an idea soon I'll be forced to drag my friend up here. And that might not end so well.
It was a day later and Naruto was washing the bathroom floor when his cell phone rang. He sat back on his heels, pulled his cleaning gloves off, then shoved his hand in his pocket. It was playing Foreign Language by Anberlin, the son he had programmed into the phone to play when Sakura called. He flipped it opened and put the speaker against his ear.
"Hello?" he said, holding the phone away from his head when Sakura began to yell shrilly.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, NARUTO?!" she screeched. Underneath the shear anger there were thick notes of worry that Naruto couldn't help but notice.
"I'm home, Sakura," he said calmly, putting the phone back to his ear.
"No you aren't!" she said. "I'm at the apartment right now and you aren't here."
"No, Sakura, I'm home. I'm in Kyoto, in my house." There was silence on the other line for a moment.
"How did you get there?" Sakura asked. He heard her sigh, the tired creak of his bed springs as she sat down.
"Hinata took me," Naruto said, cradling the phone between his ear and shoulder so that he could slip one glove back on and continue cleaning.
"Hinata! She took you!?" He braced himself for a barrage, she seemed very upset. "You mean to tell me you're in that house with a woman…alone?" Sakura asked instead of yelling.
"Sakura, even if I wanted to I wouldn't be able to rape her. I would end up shoving it in the wrong hole," Naruto said, scrubbing the floor as he laughed. Again there was silence. Much longer this time, though. "Sakura?" He was relieved to hear her breathe waveringly, almost like a silent chuckle.
"Okay, Naruto. I'll respect your privacy. Have fun, okay? And don't get into too much trouble. Any clue when you'll be back?"
"Not at all," Naruto said, scrubbing at an inconsistency in the tiles. "I'll talk to you later, and I'll call you if anything happens," he promised. She said good bye and he hung up, shoving the phone back into his pocket before returning to the strange bumps.
"Naruto, you doing okay in here?" Hinata asked from the doorway behind him.
"I'm fine," he said, smiling at her over his shoulder. "I'm having a heck of a time getting this up, though. Do you think you could bring me some steel wool?" he asked, tossing the soft sponge back into the bucket.
"Sure," she said, dashing out of the room and returning a moment later with the stiff, blue slab. She handed it to him then leaned against the doorframe, watching as he scrubbed away at the brown stain.
"Any clue what it is?" Hinata asked, watching the muscles in his back. He had taken off his shirt so he wouldn't get anything on it, leaving his marble skin to glisten in the light pouring through the window.
"I have absolutely no clue. It's probably from a stray that got in through the broken window in the next room over. When stuff is left to dry enough it can be a pain to get up." He laughed as he felt the gunk finally give way to tile.
"Why are you watching me?" he asked, not glancing up from his work, even though he couldn't see it. He didn't use an unkind tone, just a curious one.
"It's interesting to watch you clean. You don't like to let things limit you, do you?" Hinata asked, watching as he set the steel wool to the side and took out the soft sponge again, wiping away the loose gunk. The area was spotless.
"My parents always told me not to let anything stop me from doing what I wanted to do. Not even the law if it was for a good reason. The only reason Sakura cooks for me is because I can't cook to save my life," he laughed as he started to scrub another part of the floor, running a dead spider over and turning it into dust.
"What happened, anyways, Naruto?" Hinata asked, picking up a second sponge from the counter and kneeling beside him. It was a large bathroom with a steam shower, a Jacuzzi tub, a large counter with a sink over it, a toilet, and gorgeous towel racks set into the walls and a towel ring on the back of the door, all of them made of gold-colored brass.
"I thought you knew," Naruto said. If the subject bothered him it didn't show.
"I was away with friends that winter, when I came home you were gone and no one would talk about what happened."
"That's right, it was the year we graduated," Naruto smiled fondly at the memory. It's a long story," he warned, inching towards the wall. "We might even have to start cleaning the kitchen to get through it." He laughed again, dunking the sponge into the water before scrubbing some more. It took a few minutes, but he finally started talking again.
"I was at a party with my friends, celebrating Christmas. There was alcohol, loud music, and lots of space to dance. Those three things make a damn good party. I was dancing my with my boyfriend…You remember him, right?" he asked, glancing at Hinata with his sightless eyes.
"Mm-hmm," she said, wanting to hear him go on.
"I was dancing with him when my parents called me on my cell phone," he indicated the slight bulge of his pocket where the phone rested. "They wanted me to come home for something, I think it was so I could pack for a party we were going to the next day in Tokyo. Or a wedding. Anyways, I couldn't tell them I was out partying and drinking, so I decided to try and drive home. Unfortunately, I had driven all of my friends, and they didn't have enough money for a cab. So I called them all over and made them get in the car. To be honest, I'm glad I was the one driving; they were all more drunk than I was. So I was driving, trying my best to keep the car going in a straight line, everything looked so warped.
"I was almost home when a second car came speeding around the corner," he paused, a look of thought going over his face. "I'll never forget her face," he said. "She was beautiful. Dyed blonde hair down to her shoulders, shining grey eyes, she was beautiful. And speeding. It was a head-first collision. The last thing I can remember is hitting my head off the steering wheel hard enough to knock me out. The doctors told me the rest of what happened. Cars came from both sides, there was a five car pile up…They said we were really lucky. The reason I'm blind is 'cause I took a blow to the back of the head, there not sure what it was, but it hit hard enough to mess up something in my head and make my sight go.
"She died, you know," he said, the first hint of remorse in his voice. "I killed someone.
"One of my friends died too, and I was in a coma for two weeks. When I woke up the nurse told me that I was temporarily blind, that it would go away soon. It never did go away. I don't think it ever will.
"Her family came in, the woman I killed. Her husband wasn't going to press charges. He said that to live with it would be enough punishment for me. His kids, though…They called me a monster. Said they wanted their mommy back. They sounded so young, so angry. Someone that young shouldn't have to deal with losing a parent; someone that young shouldn't know the taste of hate." He was scrubbing out the tub by then, Hinata cleaning the sink.
"I broke up with my boyfriend and left almost as soon as I got out of the hospital. Mom and dad didn't want me to go. It was actually really hard to find the train station; I ended up having to ask someone for help. I was on the train for an hour before my parents called. They wanted to know where I was going, how long I would be staying for, what would happen to my education. How would I take care of myself? They were the typical doting parents. I told them I'd finish the school year with a tutor, that I was going wherever the train and a taxi would take me, I'd stay until I felt I could come home, that I'd hire a nurse. The minute I found my apartment I asked the woman owning the complex to send a note to my parents. She even went so far as to send for someone to take care of me. Until Sakura came the woman took care of me…" he trailed off, his wrists sore from scrubbing at the tub so hard.
"I was relieved when you didn't know what had happened," Naruto said. "And that I could have a friend," he smiled that flawless smile again. Hinata noticed again that it touched his eyes only slightly. Her heart skipped a beat, could that smiles change be for her.
"I have a question for you," Naruto said, popping her dream. "The guy that I bumped into yesterday, what did he look like? Be as vivid as you can."
"Hmm… A few inches taller than you, red hair, brown eyes, pale complexion. He looked kinda pissed at the world," she said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she sprayed the mirror and wiped it clean. "Looks like we're done in here."
"It all smells like lemon," Naruto said, getting out of the tub and taking a deep breath. He lifted the lid of the toilet and dumped the dirty water down; pour a small amount of cleaner in before scrubbing the bowl then flushing. "I think we've earned a lunch break. Is it okay with you if I get my hair cut afterwards?"
"No problem, I'll probably get some groceries while you're getting your hair cut." She took hold of his hand and led him into the already tided-up living room. "Naruto…who's house is this anyways?" Hinata asked. When they had arrived Naruto had pulled his key ring out of his pocket and felt for one of the smaller keys. There was a switch in a box behind the television that he had flipped to turn on the electricity. But when he had left he hadn't been old enough to have his own house.
"This was our winter home," Naruto said, sitting on the couch. "The summer home is across town. That one has a pool, a screened-in porch and a cooling system installed; this one has a heating system and thicker insulation. My parents are in the summer home now, so they won't notice until their electric bill comes, and they won't be too upset. I'll be ready to leave in a minute, kay?" he said, standing up again and heading in the general direction of his room. He held his hand against the wall, feeling for the fourth door and entering it, closing the door gently behind him. He pulled on a shirt, swiped his hair out of his face, and located a pair of socks before sliding his feet into his shoes and walking back out of the room.
"Ready when you are," he said, looking to where Hinata's breathing was coming from. There were shuffling sounds as she approached him, took his arm, and led the way out of the house. She locked the door for him as he leaned against the doorpost.
"I'm sorry you have to baby-sit me, Hinata."
"That's not it at all!" Hinata said, helping him down the stairs. "I like spending time with you." She hailed a taxi and told the cabbie to take them to take them to the closest ramen shop.
"Ah, wait, can we go to Ichiraku's? I haven't been there since the accident," Naruto said. The taxi redirected and soon they were in front of the ramen joint. Naruto paid the cabbie then got out of the car, standing close to Hinata as they walked in.
"Naruto!" a gruff voice said. An arm was slung around the blonde, a hand ruffled his hair affectionately.
"Old man!" Naruto replied, just as pleased. "Missed me?"
"You wouldn't believe how much money we lost when you stopped coming. The ladies didn't come here to swoon over you and your friends anymore, some of the guys left too. Come on, take a seat." Naruto was ushered to a seat and made to sit down.
"You too, little lady," the man said, turning to Hinata. She blushed tomato-red and sat beside Naruto, feeling awkward as several sets of eyes watched them.
"The usual, Naruto?" the man asked, already turned away from the two of them.
"You know it! What do you want, Hinata?" the blonde asked, turning to look at Hinata with his blind eyes.
"Miso ramen, please," Hinata said politely.
"Coming right up!" the old man said, the sound of his cooking and the smell of the oils making Naruto's mouth water.
"Didn't I see you yesterday?" I low, almost loathing voice said. Naruto and Hinata both turned to the source.
"You're the person I bumped into yesterday afternoon, aren't you?" Naruto asked, staring at him with his milky eyes.
"Good memory. The name's Sasori." Naruto opened his mouth to say who he was, but the red-head cut him off. "I know who you are; you're the guy from the car-crash two years ago. What are you doing showing your face back here? Or did things not work out wherever you went?"
"I don't see how this is any of your business, stranger," Naruto said coldly. Hinata was alarmed to see all the traces of good-nature fade out of the smooth features. She had never seen him look so serious.
"Because of you my little brother has had to get a fake leg," Sasori said coldly. "You made Gaara into an amputee."
And that's it for this chapter. Fun, huh? Okay, reviews please? I'm so glad so many of you are already reading this and reviewing. It makes me so happy! Thank you everyone! Still looking for someone to talk to besides for myself. Anyways, cookies for all! –throws cookies– Bye!