A Restless Night
This chapter was a lot of fun for me to write as a NaruHina fan. So I hope you guys like it as well.
While Hinata was in the restroom refreshing herself, Naruto worked hard in getting everything prepared for the two of them to sleep. It wasn't always that he had someone staying over, so Naruto got a spare futon and set it up on the ground in one of the two extra bedrooms in the house beside the master bedroom.
"I think this should be good." He said to himself, feeling pretty confident that the futon, the pillow and the blanket would make for a comfortable night's sleep.
Just as he finished Hinata entered the room looking curiously at the set up.
"You got back at the right time. I've finished making sleeping arrangements." Naruto stated with a wide grin.
"But this looks like it is only suitable for one person." Hinata commented on the futon's small size that would really only accommodate one person.
"That's the plan. Anyway, let's go to the other room." Naruto directed Hinata and took her to the main bedroom which consisted of a large double bed. "This is where you'll be sleeping."
Hinata knew from before that this was the room where Naruto normally stayed and looked at him in confusion. "Wait then where are you going to sleep?"
"I'll be in the other room of course."
"I don't understand. This bed is big enough for the both of us. Why do you need to go elsewhere?"
"We can't sleep together. No way." Naruto rejected strongly. He was already having trouble controlling himself while being around her. He didn't want to even imagine the scenario of the two of them sharing the same bed.
"But we are husband and wife. Is it not normal for us to sleep together?" She asked with a perplexed look.
"That may be so, but I don't think it is right for me to sleep with a woman I met just an hour ago."
"Then you don't trust me?" Hinata's eyes got teary after hearing his explanation.
Seeing her sad expression once again caused him a great deal of discomfort. He didn't want to go through with this once again.
"It's not that I don't trust you. I just…I…how do I put it…it's that…it…ARGGGHH!" He got frustrated with his own lack of resolve and decided to lay it out flat. "Look, the simple reason is that I think you are really beautiful and I probably would not be able to get any sleep whatsoever if we shared a bed together. So I hope you understand why I'm not ready yet."
Hinata turned away from Naruto and blushed lightly from his honest response. It wasn't the first time he had complimented her, but hearing him do so after so many years really made her heart flutter.
"I-If that is how you feel, then I'll respect your decision." She turned around to look at him sincerely once again. "But please, allow me to stay in the other room. This bed is yours Naruto-kun and I would feel bad staying here by myself."
Naruto shook his head in disagreement. "I can't let you do that. You're the first guest staying at this house in forever. This is the least I can do to make sure your stay here is comfortable."
"But Naruto-kun-" She was about to say something in retaliation, but Naruto cut her off.
"No buts. You're not going to change my mind in this matter." He said sternly at first but smiled at her in the end. "Plus going by what you said…what kind of husband would I be if I made my wife sleep on the ground while I was sleeping on the bed?"
Hinata looked down at the ground and nodded lightly. He may not have accepted everything she had told him yet, but it made her happy to find that he was being so considerate of her. Then again that was the kind of person Naruto was – one who cared greatly for his friends.
"Actually, there is something I was meaning to ask." Naruto said to bring her attention back to him. "You've been wearing that bulky jacket and trousers since you got here. Have you got a change of clothes? I can't imagine it'll be very comfortable to sleep in those."
Hinata looked down at her own outfit which consisted of a light blue jacket with white sleeves and dark blue trousers which were great for space travel purposes because of the special material they were made of, but they definitely weren't made with amazing comfort in mind.
"I wore these since they're especially made to last under all kinds of weather conditions; perfect for vising various planets. But you're right. They aren't the best clothes to sleep in and I'd have to go back to my spaceship to get a change of clothes. This is a bit of a conundrum."
Naruto thought for a second before coming up with a quick solution. "Actually, if you're okay with it, I can lend you a pair of my sleeping pajamas and shirt. It may not be the perfect fit for you, but I think they'll certainly be better than what you're wearing right now. You can grab your clothes tomorrow."
"Naruto-kun's sleeping dress…" Hinata thought dreamily for a second before snapping back to reality. "Y-Yes that would be good. I'd really appreciate that."
"Alright then, give me a second. I'll find you some now." He went over to the wardrobe and rummaged around for half a minute before bringing out a complete sleeping dress set. He handed over the cotton shirt and pajamas to her.
"Thank you." Hinata took the clothes and placed them on the bed, starting to undress from her current clothes.
"WHOA! GIMME A SECOND!" Seeing her change, Naruto quickly rushed out of the room and shut the door behind him to allow her some privacy. "At least let me get out before you start changing."
"Ah I'm sorry. When we lived together back then, I would get changed casually in your presence. I suppose I acted upon a habit. I do apologise."
"It's fine. I was just a bit startled. That is all."
"You can come in now Naruto-kun. I'm done changing." She said from the other side of the door.
Naruto released a big breath of relief and re-entered but what he saw almost gave him a nosebleed. Hinata looked beautiful to him before but her body was covered well by her bulky clothes. Now that she was wearing Naruto's sleeping dress, which was a tight fit on her, he could clearly see all the curves and even the bountiful size of her "assets" which looked like they were about to burst out of the shirt any second. His eyes seemed to have a mind of their own as they traced her body from top to bottom despite him trying to avert them away desperately. To Naruto, Hinata was the very peak of womanhood and he could stare at her all day like this, not getting bored for even a second. Eventually he slapped himself hard enough on the face to break the trance and think normally once again.
When he was younger Naruto had heard others say that a woman was the man's biggest weakness. He didn't quite understand them before, thinking that people were over-exaggerating about the matter. He never felt that way towards anyone. But now he knew exactly what they meant because at this moment even being near this person was causing him not to think straight. What was it about her that made her so attractive to his eyes? He didn't want to stay and find out.
"It seems you're good for the night, in which case I'll let you get some sleep. I'm sure you're tired and I am too. So I'll see you tomorrow morning. If there's anything else you need let me know." He blurted out quickly and left for his own room before anything else happened.
Naruto laid his body down on the futon and pulled the blanket over himself, covering even his head. His heart was beating fast and he exhaled several long breaths to calm himself down.
"Seriously, what is going on? Why do I feel like this whenever she's around? I've never felt like this ever before, so why now? Am I really…in love?"
Although Hinata did say that she and Naruto were married, the concept of love had always been so farfetched to Naruto. He just didn't know what to make out of any of this.
"Only a few hours ago I was just another single man coming back home to hopefully spend a quiet and relaxing summer. Yet suddenly I'm now married to an alien girl with seemingly "all-seeing" eyes. How the heck did any of this happen?" He wondered within his mind but found no answer. "Perhaps this is all just a dream. Maybe if I rest for a while and get some shut eye I'll wake up tomorrow and find out that all of this was the result of the stress I built up doing a research degree for 4 years. Yeah, that sounds about right. Tomorrow it'll all go back to the usual. So let's get some sleep."
However it was easier said than done. He didn't even know if he wanted things to go back to normal at this point. The part of his mind that was already telling him that he wanted this woman around was starting to get louder and louder by the second until he couldn't take it anymore. He put another pillow over his head and forced down in an attempt to stop the madness that was going on in his head. After flipping around in the futon for what seemed like hours he was finally able to fall asleep.
But just as luck would have it, he now started to dream about Hinata. Within it he saw himself returning home after a long day's work only to be greeted by his wife.
"Would you like to have dinner Naruto-kun?" She asked with a heart-warming smile. "Or would you like to have a bath?"
Hinata's smile now turned into a deep red blush. "Or perhaps you'd like to have…me?"
Just as any man would have guessed, the dream Naruto decided to go with the third option and the scenario quickly started to escalate beyond PG-13.
Before things could get too heated though the real Naruto's eyes jolted wide open. His eyes were bloodshot and a serious headache made matters worse.
"Brilliant…now I'm even dreaming about her when I was thinking all of this could possibly be a dream in and of itself. Can one dream within a dream? How many layers deep am I right now?" He questioned himself in his own mind in an attempt to regain his sanity.
Not much time had passed from when he fell asleep and now that he was woken up again he noticed a peculiar change. He was sleeping sideways and felt a light yet noticeable weight over the lower half of his body. He moved his hand over to investigate, only to grasp onto something slender and soft.
"Ahn…" He heard a small squeak from behind but decided it was all in his mind.
Now he felt something small and light resting across his mid-section. He moved his hand over to grasp on to the soft object quite firmly.
"Uhh…" Another squeak came from behind and this time he was having trouble convincing himself that it was indeed all in his mind.
"Definitely a leg and a hand…" He reported his own findings to himself. Thus to confirm his suspicions he moved his hand behind his back only to grasp on to a soft waist.
"Naruto-kun…not so rough…" Hinata murmured within her sleep.
"Eeeehhhhhhhhhhh? It's Hinata." He almost shouted out from shock but barely managed to keep it in. "She's using me as a body pillow."
Naruto's heart was now beating so fast that he feared the organ might just burst out of his chest any second. He tried to calm himself down but to no avail.
Hinata seemed to have come over to this room and snuck into the futon with him during the brief period Naruto was asleep. Although the sleeping arrangement was for one person only, she had somehow managed to snuggle in close enough to him to allow for the both of them to fit in. However, this meant that there was barely any distance between the two. Given Naruto's movements to try and increase that distance, Hinata's body automatically moved in tandem to close that gap and grasp on to him even stronger.
Naruto was now in an even greater bind. His attempts to escape had backfired and now Hinata's body was completely pressed up to his back. He could feel the softness of it all and it was driving him nuts.
"My limits are being tested. They are surely being tested." He said to himself not knowing whether he should be crying or smiling about his current situation. To him it was the first time that he ever shared a bed with the opposite gender and man was this an experience.
Naruto squirmed around under her grasp only to now find himself face to face with Hinata, their noses touching lightly. He could clearly see her gentle and peaceful sleeping face. At that moment, Naruto felt this intense urge to close the gap between their lips. He wanted to do so very badly and even started to act upon that impulse, only stopping himself inches short, moving his face away while being ashamed of what he was about to do to this sleeping girl.
"How could I? She trusted me and here I am trying to take advantage of her." He kicked himself mentally. However, another part of his consciousness now started to speak. "But she came here of her own accord. She's the one who chose to sleep with me. I mean, we are meant to be husband and wife right? In that case there wouldn't be anything wrong if I did decide to…kiss her. It's only one kiss. Heck she would probably appreciate it. NO NO NO NO NO! WHAT AM I THINKING?! WHEN DID MY GALLANT AND PURE SELF BECOME SO TAINTED AND CORRUPT! I SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF MYSELF!"
As the various factions within Naruto's mind battled each other, a voice brought him back to reality.
"Naruto-kun and me…we're a happy family of two." Hinata spoke from within her sleep with a smile on her face.
This made Naruto realise that Hinata herself was probably also dreaming right now about the two of them. Except her dream seemed to be a lot more innocent than the one he had. Seeing her so happy made him feel a sense of elation within himself. He had never been so delighted in seeing another person's joy. He wanted this moment to last forever.
"Now there are four. Our family just got even bigger." Hinata continued on even more happily.
Her statement made Naruto wonder what she was talking about. Now she was talking about four people? This was a bit curious. Before he could think about it much, the brightness in her expression started to diminish, replaced with darkness.
"No, please don't take him away. I don't want to lose him. My family…OUR FAMILY!" She started to writhe around in her sleep in discomfort and grief.
It became apparent to Naruto that Hinata's dream had just turned into a nightmare, one that was causing her great suffering. He wanted to do something to help her, but didn't know what. He felt just as distraught as her at this moment.
"I…I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I failed to protect him. Forgive me. Please…I beg you…forgive me." She apologised in her sleep as tears started to flow from her eyes, soaking the pillow they were sleeping on.
With nothing else he could think of, Naruto gently pulled her head close to his chest. He embraced her as strongly as he could to lend her his support and to take away her pain, for her pain was his pain. Her happiness was his happiness. He finally came to terms with these facts. His feelings for her were now crystal clear to him. She was indeed someone special to him, whatever the reason, whether he could explain it or not. He just knew it.
It seemed Naruto's actions worked as Hinata rested her head on his hand and snuggled in right next to his heart. Naruto become a source of comfort for Hinata as she held on to him firmly, and seeing this Naruto felt a wave a relief wash over him. With his mind and body finally calmed, before long he too was fast asleep, embracing her fully in his arms. Thus the night became peaceful for them both.
But there was someone else in the dead of the night who wasn't quite seeking the same peace.
Unbeknownst to all, another spaceship was currently in orbit around Earth. From within it, a certain person closely observed Naruto and Hinata.
"I cannot believe my eyes. I thought it was impossible at first, but now I have no doubts." The masked man, Tobi said to himself in disbelief. "The person the Hyuyan princess came all the way to Earth to meet was…Naruto."
Tobi was left completely speechless by what he saw until finally after a minute a wide grin appeared beneath his mask.
"I didn't even think you were alive after everything I did during your birth Naruto. But now I feel so silly for not realising where you had been all this time. I should have known Kushina would have sent you here to Earth. It's just so obvious given your father's identity. Yet I didn't even consider it a possibility. What a fool I was." Even though he was surprised at first, excitement had now overtaken Tobi's voice. "To think I'd be able to see you once again after all these years is simply mind blowing. Above all, the fact that you are the father of the Hyuyan princess' children is unfathomable. But this makes everything so much more interesting. I can only wonder what you'll do when you find out the truth behind your own lineage. This is so very interesting indeed."
A little tease of what is to come.
I really did try to turn up that NaruHina dial in this chapter. In reality though, there is actually a reason as to why Naruto feels the way he does towards Hinata.
Getting back to some of your questions/remarks:
Haruko Ai: Wow I'm really impressed that you picked up on Hinata's statement about the "other race" whose eyes are comparable to the Hyuyans. This race will indeed be introduced shortly. I wonder if anyone else can guess who they are ;)
Chewie Cookies: There might just be a surprise for you in that matter, old friend :)
Flameraven1: About Naruto's mother...much more to come. But for now, just a little teaser. Quite a bit of information packed in there though.
SkyUnih: In due time my friend all of your questions will be answered. But I wonder if I'm currently raising more questions than providing answers haha lol. That's not a bad thing in my opinion though.
Thanks to you all for reading and reviewing. It is what keeps me writing more. So I hope we can continue. Until next time, take care and be well. Mata-ne.