Happiness and Sorrow
Hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday. I'll try and put out several chapters over the course of this break, so look forward to some good progress to the story :)
The two them finished dinner and Naruto was now sitting on top of the large master bed in the bedroom. He appeared nervous, the cause of which was a small black box in his hands. He was eyeing it intently as the content within it was quite precious to him.
At that very moment Hinata exited from the rest room and the automatic door slid shut behind. Her sudden entrance made Naruto almost jump out of his skin and throw the box into the air. Luckily he was able to catch it safely and quickly hid it behind his back.
"What's in your hand Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked curiously, having spotted the object he was obviously trying to hide from her.
"You already saw?" Naruto gave her the look of a child who had just been caught red-handed doing some kind of mischief. "There goes the surprise. Oh well, might as well do what needs to be done. Hinata, please come sit here with me for a bit. I have something I need to talk to you about."
Hinata didn't know why Naruto was so flustered but she listened to his request nonetheless and sat on the bed facing him.
"I should have given this to you when we first got married, but as they say better late than never." Naruto brought forward the box he was hiding and opened it for her. "Please accept this. I got this just for you."
Hinata didn't know exactly what she was looking at or what the content was meant for, but if it was a gift from Naruto then she would cherish it forever. Nonetheless, the object inside the box intrigued her. She hadn't quite seen anything like it, so she took it out and examined it closely.
"I'm curious as to what this is. Himawari, could you please run a scan?" Hinata requested.
"On it right now…initiating atomic spectroscopy…identifying elemental composition…confirmed." Himawari completed her tests in seconds. "It would appear that the ring you hold is composed of an element consisting of 79 protons, in other words gold. The ring itself is encrusted and topped by a crystal composed entirely of the element carbon in a face centred lattice structure. This is referred to as diamond."
"Wait…gold and diamond?" Hinata gave Naruto a look of astonishment. "I remember reading, are these not very rare and expensive materials on Earth? This ring must have cost you a lot. You didn't have to go out of your way to buy me such a costly souvenir. If it's from you then anything would have made me happy."
"It wasn't that big of a deal. Sure I had to save up for a bit over the past few years since I got it custom made, but it feels great to finally be able to give it to you. I may not very rich but you deserve something nice, because you're special to me Hinata. I just hope you like it."
"This is truly beautiful Naruto-kun and it makes me happy beyond words to be receiving this gift from you. But I've been wondering and I hope you won't mind me asking…" Hinata had a perplexed look on her face as she gazed ever so deeply at the ring. "What is this ring for?"
Naruto giggled lightly at her question. If this were any other girl on Earth they would have understood what the ring stood for but Hinata was different. He embraced that aspect of her and took the ring from her hand.
"This isn't a souvenir Hinata. It serves a purpose very similar to this." From the back of Naruto's right hand, the flower of light sprouted. As if on cue the same happened on Hinata's right hand. "Just as Hyuyans exchange these flowers when they get married, the people of Earth exchange rings with their significant others. This ring is a gift from me, your husband, to you, my wife. You wear it in your second to last finger which shows that you are married to me."
As he finished explaining, he gently took Hinata's right hand and inserted the ring on to her ring finger.
Although at first Hinata appreciated the ring as a precious gift from Naruto, now she looked at it in a completely different way. The light shining from the flower was being dispersed by the diamond on top the ring, making for a truly spectacular display of all the colours of the rainbow, mesmerising Hinata to no end.
"I don't know what to say…this is amazing. I…I'm just lost for words. Thank you…no…it's better to show you." Hinata decided to cut the talk and demonstrate exactly how happy she was by grasping on to Naruto's body strongly. In fact she put so much force behind the hold that she ended pushing Naruto on to the bed, she herself falling on top of him. Even then Hinata remained didn't part from him.
Naruto was surprised at first but he was happy to know her feelings and embraced her tightly with both hands as well, cherishing the moment.
"How did you remember to get this ring for me when you didn't even have any memories of me?" Hinata asked him curiously while lying on top of him.
"I asked that question myself earlier when I finally got my memories back." Naruto answered back. "In reality as I mentioned before I really wanted to give you this ring when we first met 4 years ago and got married. However everything happened so fast back then that I wasn't quite financially prepared. I felt really bad about it and promised myself that I'd eventually buy a ring for you. It seems that drive I had for buying a ring remained within me even though I didn't remember who I was buying it for. When I didn't have my memories I knew that I just HAD to buy the best ring I could get my hands on for someone truly special to me. At times that thought felt irrational to me since I didn't even know who I was buying it for, but in the end that intense feeling I had left over since you left overcame all doubts and I ended up getting this ring for the occasion when I did meet the special person it was intended for. And finally, after what feels like an eternity, it has happened."
Hearing his story started to make Hinata's eyes watery.
"Whoa now, this ring was meant to make you happy, not make you cry. I'll feel bad."
"I just can't help it. I'm just so happy." Hinata tried her best to hold back her tears. "Now I wish I had a ring too to give you."
"Actually, I've got you covered in that regard." Naruto got up from the bed and grabbed his messenger bag, fishing around within one of its pockets until he grabbed on to another ring, this one made of a peculiar dark black metal. He brought it over and handed it to Hinata. "I didn't buy this one but it was left over by the person who owned the house I live in. I only found it after you left and it looks weird, so I wouldn't have given it to you in the first place. Not to mention, I wanted to buy you a ring myself. But anyway, I think this'll work for me."
As soon as Hinata held the ring she recognised the metal it was made of. "This is Adamantium. Isn't it so, Himawari?"
"Yes without a doubt."
"Wow…I can't believe you managed to get your hands on this metal. I don't think Adamantium has even discovered by the people of Earth." Hinata said in awe.
"That's not a name I've ever come across." Naruto replied. "What's so special about it?"
"Adamantium is one of the rarest elements in the entire universe. It is known as the metal that never breaks no matter what you do. It can only be reshaped under extreme conditions. We Hyuyans go to intense pains to harvest it as it is used in some of our most important systems. The reason why it is so rare is because this metal was only formed long ago within the first stars in the universe. It is no longer produced anywhere at the current age. Therefore, Adamantium can only be found in small quantities in the furthest reaches of the universe. It is definitely not found within planets any more. So it is surprising that someone on Earth was able to discover some, let alone make a ring out of it."
"Wow…I had no idea." Naruto was stunned by the information he received. "I suppose I should've given you this ring instead after all since it was so rare."
"Oh no, not at all. I'm much happier to receive the one you chose and bought for me specifically. That means more to me than any other ring ever could, even if it was made of the rarest stuff one can find." Hinata said with a smile. "I just have to put this on your second to last finger right?"
Naruto nodded and extended his right hand towards her allowing for Hinata to also insert the ring into Naruto's ring finger.
"I've been waiting a long time for this and now it's finally complete." He said happily. "Thanks for being with me Hinata."
"It is my pleasure and thank you for this gift. I'll cherish it forever. That is a promise" She replied back just as gleefully.
"Today's been an eventful day. I suppose it's time to hit the bed. We should be arriving tomorrow, so I imagine it's going to be even more hectic. I can't wait to meet this special person you want me to meet."
For a moment Hinata's face seemed to have a dark overtone before she forced on a smile. "I can't wait either Naruto-kun. There really is a lot in store for you once we arrive, so let's get as much rest as we can."
Thus the two of them got to bed to get some much needed sleep before tomorrow's arrival. They stared at each other for a while using the dim starlight that permeated the room through the large panoramic windows until eventually both of them fell asleep and everything went silent.
Several hours later…
Naruto's sleep was abruptly broken by a sudden break in the silence and a lot of haphazard movements next to him. He opened his eyes only to find Hinata seemingly writhing around in some form of pain. He sat up quickly in both shock and fear, not knowing the cause. Upon closer inspection he discovered that Hinata was in fact having a nightmare very similar to last night's occurrence.
Just as he was about to wake her up he heard Hinata mumbling something within her sleep.
"The four of us…our family…it's being torn apart. I don't want this. I DON'T WANT THIS!" She screamed within her sleep.
Naruto was getting unnerved by her sudden outburst. He had never seen anyone have such intense nightmares. It almost looked like she was being tortured.
"Please…no more. I don't want to see her in pain. I don't want to lose her as well. OUR FAMILY! She continued on shouting in her sleep.
Naruto was about to try and wake her up once again when she suddenly said something addressed directly at him.
"I'm sorry Naruto-kun…forgive me…I've failed to protect her as well. I'm …SORRY!" With that last statement Hinata jolted upright suddenly, her eyes wide open as she gasped for air.
"Hinata, are you okay? What happened?" Naruto asked out of serious concern for his wife.
Hinata only turned her head to face him, a look of fear instantly overtaking her appearance. It was as if she had seen a ghost.
"Hinata? Is everything alright? You look awful."
"Naruto-kun…I-I-I'm sorry." Hinata replied in a trance.
"Sorry about what?" He asked back.
"I-It's nothing." She quickly rectified her previous statement and put on a wry smile. "I was just having a b-bad dream. F-Forget about anything I may have said. I just need to go grab a glass of water."
"In that case I'll accompany you." Naruto offered kindly.
"Oh no, that's not necessary." Hinata quickly denied the offer. "You can go back to sleep. I'll be back in a bit. Sorry for waking you up."
"Okay…if you say so." Naruto was a bit reluctant but he decided to agree to her will.
Hinata quickly exited the room and went to the dining and kitchen area, locking the door behind her. She got herself a glass of water but rather than drinking it, she poured it over her head at the kitchen sink. The cold water seemed to calm her down slightly.
"These nightmares…they never cease." Hinata gave a large sigh of pain. "I thought being with him would finally stop them, but these never ending nightmares are a stark reminder of the reality I'm faced with every day."
"Princess, do you not think it is about time you told him everything?" Himawari spoke up within Hinata's mind seeing her suffering. "I believe he deserves to know."
"What exactly do I tell him? That I lost one of our children into the vastness of space and the other is slipping into darkness by the second? He is going to find out about the truth soon enough once we reach our destination, so I really can't bring myself to take away his smile right now."
"Please stop beating yourself up over what happened. You did everything you could have possibly done. None of it is your fault." Himawari did her best to console Hinata.
"It is the outcome that matters in the end Himawari, not the effort. I am a failure of a mother for not being able to protect my children, and soon I'll be a failure of a wife once Naruto-kun finds out the truth. I am nothing but a complete failure."
"Let him be the judge of whether you are a failure or not." Himawari added in Hinata's defence. "You have to tell him about it all first."
In response Hinata could only just shake her head in despair as tears started to roll down her eyes.
"What do I tell him? How do I tell him about all that has happened when at this moment I myself don't even know who is in worse condition, my son or my daughter?"
Himawari had no reply for that last question. Thus silence overtook the room once again with only the very light sound of Hinata's tears hitting the countertop remaining audible.
Yes, Naruto and Hinata's children will make their debut shortly. Of course they'll both play a big part in the story as well. But there are special circumstances surrounding them...I'll leave you to wonder about it for a bit.
Now to answer a few of your questions/comments:
YamiChaos27: The reason why Naruto called out the name rasengan alongside Hinata was because Hinata herself named the technique as "spiraling sphere" beforehand, which translates into rasengan. Basically when Naruto and Hinata are speaking, Hinata is talking in her native language. She's using a translator to communicate with Naruto. She herself called the technique "spiraling sphere" in her own language but just afterwards she translates the name into Naruto's native language in the heat of the moment, forgetting that her translator had already translated "spiraling sphere" into rasengan beforehand. So Naruto was able to say the name with her. I was planning to explain more about their way of communicating in a later chapter.
Chewie Cookies: It is about to happen my friend. We're almost there. Love your new word BTW! I hope you don't mind if I start using it myself. I might even make it Naruto's (or one of his children's) new catchphrase lol.
Okay, so I'll be off for today, but expect to see new updates soon. Until next time, have fun. It's the holidays after all :)