Take Me Home

By TheChrysanthemum

Chapter 4

"Her name is Tayuya Higarashi. According to Shizune's autopsy report that wasn't released in the papers for security reasons, she died of deep stab wounds, here and here and here." With her forefinger, Tsunade pointed to Tayuya's anatomy on the board, more specifically to her chest, throat, and abdomen. Naruto glanced at his case file and his eyes hardened.

Tayuya was supposed to graduate next week and now, she might never have the chance to walk across her school's stage, he thought bitterly.

"She's victim number four and we have no credible leads, so far. All we know is that she's part of a band called 'Sound Four,' but they all checked out, all have alibis. Her permanent record shows minor transgressions such as shoplifting and vandalism, but nothing too serious. Ms. Higarashi's mother called the police department on Tuesday night at exactly 10:30, because she usually arrives home before nine everyday." Tsunade sat down on her desk, her expression grave.

"Victim number one, two, and three had all been found in dumpsters around the red light district, but unlike victim four, they were missing their organs rather than stabbed," continued Shikamaru. "No fingerprints, blood, or clothing fibers found. No traces to directly trace the killer back to the crimes."

Naruto suppressed an undeniable anger bubbling inside him, and he noticed Hinata shuddered next to him.

"Why were they missing their b-body parts?" gulped Kiba who was clearly white as a sheet.

"We speculated that the killer is stealing organs to sell them in the black market, or otherwise known as organ trafficking," said Tsunade. "But what's strange is that all of our victims are young women. Organs are organs no matter whom they come from."

Hinata, who was eerily silent during their meeting, chimed in. "What makes Tayu—-Ms. Higarashi different from the other victims?"

God, Naruto had the strong urge to comfort Hinata after seeing her hands clenching her skirt underneath the table, her knuckles turning white. As if by instinct, his hand shot out and laid it on top of her hand. Her eyes slightly widened, but she didn't turn her head to acknowledge him nor tear her concentration from her case file. Instead, she didn't pull her hand away from his, and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He was only comforting his friend and partner, so why wouldn't his heart stopped thrashing uncontrollably in his throat?

"Victim four seemed to be the victim of rage," answered Shikamaru. "She put up a strong fight. Defensive wounds were found on her palms and forearms."

"Your first mission is to protect Ms. Higarashi's mother. We just received the news last night that she's in Hidden Leaf's hospital. She was attacked in her home and is now in a coma. She suffered two broken bones and a concussion. There's a good chance that it was the same perpetrator who killed her daughter, and there's a great probability that the killer will come back and finish the job. So, pack your bags because you'll be heading out there, tonight." declared Tsunade as she started gathering her papers.

Naruto abruptly stood up, surprising himself and his partners. "We're not going after that bastard? Isn't better to if we start investigating before someone gets hurt again?" he said, his voice rising higher and higher.

"Naruto, sit down." Kiba hissed as he tugged him down by his shirt.

Shikamaru appeared to have expected Naruto's outburst. Tsunade, on the other hand, raised her eyebrow. "And where do you think we'll start, Naruto?" She said his name in a very deliberate manner, inviting him to test her patience.

Before he could come up with a reply, Hinata chimed in. "The chief is right, N-naruto. Ms. Higarashi's mother is the only lead we have. There's a great chance she could point us to the right direction. She may have even seen the killer's face."

His shoulders slumped, defeated at the little information they had. "Hmmn…"

"This meeting is adjourned. Don't let her out of your sight tonight. If you notice anything strange or out of place, report back to me or Shikamaru. If we have new information pertaining to the case or the killer, we'll contact you via phone. Keep it with you at all times and if something does happen before the Task Force gets there, do not directly engage. I repeat, do not engage."

Naruto had a peculiar feeling that Tsunade was specifically talking to him.

"And oh, Hinata I need to talk to you afterwards," she added and Naruto slightly pouted. Why aren't we included too? he wondered. Shrugging his shoulders and thinking it was probably nothing, he put his case file underneath his arm and walked out with Kiba and Shikamaru.

…

Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno greeted them when they arrived at the hospital's entrance. They were interns with the dreams of being medics and ambitions to surpass Tsunade's medical reputation. Naruto had always thought Ino would follow her family's tradition and work at the Intelligence Department. She had an uncanny ability to sense people's secrets that made him tremendously afraid of her, besides her temper.

Things between Sakura and him were getting better. For three years, he had been trying to build their friendship anew again, after their major fall-out. To him, whenever he saw Sakura it reminded him of the past. The past that he was reluctant to remember nor forget.

The girls led them to Mrs. Higarashi's room at an isolated area in the hospital. This is an old part of the hospital so very few people know about it, they said. They didn't account for the barely-nonexistent escape route just in case if the team ever needed it. The isolated area resided below the first floor. There was only one entrance and exit to the room. With his duffel bag slung over his shoulder, he followed them along on the narrow hallway. Kiba was sniffling quietly and Naruto suppressed a laugh.

"Are you scared, Kiba?" he joked, poking him on his back.

"Shut up, idiot! I've never been away from Akamaru for this long before," he huffed.

A scenario popped in his head. If Kiba ever had the choice to choose between him and Akamaru, Naruto had the strong feeling that he would choose his dog over him. Kiba had Akamaru whereas Naruto had nobody. Sure, he had friends and acquaintances along the way, but he never experienced an intimate relationship, the deep connection he wanted to feel, where he could be free to be himself, and more importantly, free to talk to someone about his day without the need to be "funny Naruto" or the compulsion to "fit in." Even to himself, he couldn't understand what he truly wanted.

But he was absolutely sure about one thing: he wanted to feel complete.

During his brief time with Sakura, he, sometimes, suppressed his interests and tried to become the man she wanted him to be. Perhaps, that was why their relationship didn't last.

Growing up without his parents around and learning to fend for himself, Naruto still felt his loneliness creeping inside his skin at the darkest hours, which only increased his yearning to have someone fend off his demons.

…

Spider webs hang from the walls and goosebumps appeared at the back of Naruto's neck. He asked about the poor conditions of the hospital and Ino answered something how the funds were low, after the city's renovations. As they were walking to Mrs. Higarashi's room, he focused on Hinata in front of him, and his eyes concentrated at the gentle sway of her hair. The flickering lights bulbs illuminated her hair, revealing a deep blue hue shimmering like rippling water against the dimness of the hall.

A feeling of deja-vu overtook his senses.

It passed quickly, replaced by a longing he couldn't quite understand. The longer he stared at her hair, a desire to do something, anything, blossomed in his chest. His fingers began to itch to touch something. Touch what exactly? He was vaguely aware that she was talking to Kiba, and everytime she turned her head to face his friend, her hair swayed even more. The yearning to tuck away the particular strand behind her delicate ear became too overwhelming that… that…

His fingers reached out and caught the strands between his fingers. Like running his thumb over a feather, he relished at the smoothness of her hair.

"What're you d-doing?"

Naruto dropped his hand, a burn traveling from his fingertips to the rest of his arm bewildered him.

"Er… I saw a spider web on your hair," he chuckled, slightly embarrassed when everyone stopped and looked quizzically at him, especially Ino.

"Oh, thank you," she replied, her hand absentmindedly running her fingers through her hair.

"I didn't see any web," cooed Ino, and Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance. Here she goes again with her crazy psychic powers, he thought.

Naruto silently thanked Kiba when he jumped into the conversation, clearing the emerging tension in the air, with a joke. They turned to a corner, and something bothered him. He wondered if Hinata was related to Neji since he rarely talked about his family.

They finally arrived at Mrs. Higarashi's room. Ino and Sakura left to tend to some other matters, leaving them to protect the victim's mother.

…

The room's furnitures were kept at the bare minimum. There was a raggedy old couch on the corner, an uncomfortable-looking bean bag chair, and no windows. Two IV's were hooked to Tayuya's mom and the beeping sound of the breathing machine echoed in the room. Hinata dropped her bag on the floor and walked toward her. Faint yellow bruises were present on her forearms and there was a thick gauze wrapped around her head. According to her file, the mom was a divorcee in her early forties, working as a cashier. Hinata wondered how Tayuya's mom could afford the two bedroom apartment at Rasengan Inn, one of the high-end residence in Hidden Leaf, on a minimum wage.

Hinata knew Tayuya though she never talked to her. Her band often came to play at Kurama's before the dancers would take over the stage. Tayuya wasn't a stripper nor a dancer, yet she received a gruesome end. Hinata clenched her fists, wanting nothing more than catch the person who did it. If she it wasn't for her banishment, she could use her Hyuuga influence to afford the best detectives in the city.

"H-hinata, are you okay?" Naruto's voice sounded concerned.

"I'm fine," she replied, perhaps, too quickly.

"You're crying... "

She slowly brought her hand to her cheeks. Sure enough, her cheeks were wet, and she was taken back. "I don't… uh."

Naruto came beside her. "Don't worry, we'll catch that bastard. I swear it."

"Me too! We'll definitely catch the one who did this!" Kiba added.

Hinata firmly nodded. I do hope so.

…

The phone was heavy inside her pocket. When Tsunade called her aside after their meeting today, Hinata thought she had done something wrong. Instead, she was given a special phone, different from their regulated work phone for this case. Her hand patted the phone, almost nervously.

"This phone is different from what I've given to Naruto and Kiba. This is in case of emergency if something bad happened while you're undercover," said Tsunade.

Frankly, Hinata was never good at hiding secrets, especially to her new teammates. Guilt would start to settle and she would avoid looking them at their eyes. This time is different. It's for a mission. She hardened her resolve. Besides, it was their first night on duty and nothing had happened so far.

"Ne, Hinata do you want something to eat?" asked Kiba, holding his wallet in his hand. "I'm starving and I'm going to the cafeteria to get some food." As if in cue, his stomach rumbled.

"Get me some ramen!" exclaimed Naruto.

"No, thank you," she answered Kiba.

The more she spent time with Kiba, the more she realized that his rugged appearance didn't justify his sweet, caring nature toward her. Though often times, the red marking on his cheeks, he had mentioned that they were customary tattoos he received in his childhood, reminded her of a loyal canine.

Midnight was closing in and the boys insisted that she could sleep on the couch. Profusely refusing to receive any special treatment from them just because she was a girl, Hinata was thoroughly bewildered when Naruto suddenly stood up, gathered some of her belongings consisted of a pillow and a blanket, and placed them on the couch.

"I've called dibs on the bean bag and Kiba's sleeping bag is already prepared." Naruto pointed out. "Kiba is sleeping near the door so he could alert us if something is not right with his crazy sensory skills," grimaced Naruto. "Did you know his nose could detect what you ate for breakfast?"

She'd admit it was a sweet gesture. After Kiba had left and Hinata started to lay down on the couch, pulling her blanket up to her neck, Naruto started conversating with her. At first, it was about trivial things such as Akamaru using Naruto's shoes as chew toys, his college professor Jiraiya spending all of his money on booze, his daily life sharing an apartment with Kiba, his dream of becoming the Chief, and when he mentioned his birthday, Hinata froze.

"... And Kiba already paid for it! Of course, it was my first time there and it was definitely weird but I—-" Naruto suddenly stopped, mid-sentence.

Hinata turned to face him, her whole body laying on its side on the couch. "But what?" she whispered, frowning at his sudden silence.

"I don't know why I'm telling all of this and I've just met you today," he slowly murmured. "It's like… it's like as if by just talking to you, a weight is being lifted on my shoulders." He tilted his head, the intensity of his eyes scrutinizing her every move. "You must think I'm weird," he muttered, tearing his gaze away from her.

Hinata sat up so quickly that her blanket slid off to floor. "No, I don't think you're w-weird," she replied, her face swiftly becoming warm. She wished she could've had stopped there but the words rushed out of her mouth like water gushing out of a fountain. "I like it when you talk, especially about your yourself, your dreams, your goals. I wish I could have the confidence to do the same."

After blurting her thoughts out, Hinata buried her face on her pillow. The urge for the ground to rise up and swallow her was looking more and more like a good idea. Seconds passed by with only the sounds of the breathing machine, Hinata peeked to see Naruto quietly picking her blanket off the floor and gently draping it on her body. "Thanks Hinata. Y'know, I like you more than Kiba."

His smile illuminated his face.

He looked contented.

She was mesmerized at the soft crinkles of his bright eyes.

"Now, y'know some things about me but it's your turn," Naruto placed his chin on the couch, near her hips, observing her.

She pursed her lips. Doubts flew inside her mind. Would he discriminate her just like the others? Would he shun her? Tenten became her friend after finding out her past, but she didn't have a choice; it was a shot in the dark. Could she take that shot again?

As though sensing her reluctance, Naruto started his story. "Let me tell you about the time I borrowed Sai's paintbrushes," he chuckled. "Well, I didn't exactly tell him I was borrowing them... "

It was past midnight and Hinata's eyes began to feel immensely heavy. After hours of listening to Naruto's antics and Kiba, who came back with chips on his hands, joined in the conversation, she was already drifting off to sleep.

"...G'night Hinata."

A/N: Ah, don't you just love their blossoming friendship with hints of something deeper? I just finished watching "Naruto: The Last Movie" (I know I'm so late) and I was basically squealing at all of the NaruHina moments. Ugh, don't you wish Kishi would show more of NaruHina in the Naruto Gaiden? I really want to see how Naruto and Hinata interact now that they're married and have kids. Boruto and Himawari are just too cute. (Can't wait for the movie! But with where I live, It'll be months before I see it on eng sub.)

Don't forget to R&R! Reviews are like the equivalent of food. I need it to keep my fuel going. =D

Thanks again!