Simplicity is Complexity
Chapter 2: Knowing You More.
Disclaimer: The moment I own Naruto, there will be NarutoHinata goodness! Is there any so far? No… Because I don't own it!
AN: Yes, I am making more of this story, and those who like fluff must be cheering like there is no tomorrow. Whatever the results are to this piece of fiction, well, whatever. As long as I know some people care (such as Akane-chan and Jasx-kun) hey, I am more than satisfied. Obviously, this chappie would contain just as much (or more) fluff than last time. Romance fills the air!
Yeah, I am in a bad mood, so this chapter is a little morbid and dark. Wait… when was I ever in a good mood?
Let the killing begin… I mean, story, story…
Hyuuga Hinata… this name… the more I repeat it in my head, the more beautiful it sounded. Hinata; what a pretty name for a gorgeous girl... It must've been her kindness that made me feel that way… for Uzumaki Naruto had met plenty of beautiful girls in his life although they chose to waste their bodies to any random perverted male than sharing it with someone they love. It was quite a shame, really, since I was always taught from Jiraiya that marriage was a great thing to experience.
What a hypocrite… after all those lectures of not getting seduced by any random slut, Jiraiya still chose to hang around bars, and possibly making love with those ones who had a considerably well developed bust size.
How did I know so much about that bastard? To put a long story short, Jiraiya was a sleep talker. Instead of saying the universal 'I can't eat anymore…' Jiraiya says, 'No, don't… don't suffocate me with your breasts, I can't breathe… I love it…' in a voice that showed that he was enjoying it.
What a prickity bitch! I had countless nightmares up until now because of him! Knowing what agitated me most, Kyuubi would sometimes appear in her humanoid form in my dreams and seduce me just for the sheer fun of it. I thought seduction was already bad enough, but did she have to do it naked while pretending her breasts were going to explode due to her tight clothing.
This world was against me; it tormented me forever and a day…
It was a miracle, and possibly a privilege that I wasn't a pervert in the end. Maybe I was… Who knew, since influence and attitudes of other people did rub off their affects to those around them. At the same time, I couldn't summon enough the courage to admit if I was that innocent. Come on, the first thing I noticed from Hinata was not her name… but her developed, grown-up physical attributes.
I needed to apologize for not remembering her name, hurt was not the only thing she experienced at that instant, I assumed, not especially she put all her heart to make my life more pleasant. Hinata… what a girl…
My thoughts were interrupted when I felt someone pulling my sleeve lightly. No doubt it was Hinata.
"Naruto-kun…" she called me only by my name instead of any other words.
"Yeah?" I responded, kind of dozed off.
"Do you remember your way?"
Did she doubt my sense of direction? "Sure… I knew my way home, why wouldn't I know where to go?"
"We just passed Ichikaru…" That was unexpected. Me, Uzumaki Naruto, missed Ichikaru Ramen? No, that was not possible. No way in hell would I forget that place!
"How could that be? Ichikaru Ramen was a stand… with Ayame-chan and Ichikaru-san on standby to receive orders to cook ramen for the customers…" Without me knowing what my body had done, I was holding the poor girl on the shoulders with my eyes dead serious on this subject. "Did they run out of business, Hinata? You can tell me the truth!"
My jaw dropped the second she started to giggle. More so, my left eye twitched irritably as soon as she laughed out loud. Although her laughter was soothing to my ears, how could she fail to understand the seriousness of my question? This was the fate of Ichikaru Ramen we were talking about! This could not be taken lightly in any circumstances! "You really need to update your stuff, Naruto-kun…" Hinata elaborated as she continued to laugh.
"What?" I questioned, tightening my grip, and my clear blue eyes making deadly leers.
"Ichikaru had moved a year ago, Naruto-kun,"
"You serious?"
"Serious."
"Then… then… then…" I choked, releasing her after knowing some hope was left, "why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"If you walk around searching for it… it means that I could spend more time with you…" I raised a brow curiously at that incredibly bold answer, it came out so… smooth and natural. Once Hinata thought about what she said, her face blushed heavily again. "Nothing, nothing, nothing, I said something wrong! I didn't mean it that way, Naruto-kun! I am sorry for tricking you…"
I shook my hand lightly, meaning that I didn't mind. But one thing was for certain, I didn't forget what she said before, "It's fine, Hinata… really, it is."
"I know how important ramen-"
I cutted her off despite that I shouldn't have. It looked like that I needed to discipline my brain pretty soon after this.
Baka-yaro… Naruto… you are quite an inconsiderate guy…
"It's not that important, Hinata," I told her, "Maybe it was because I haven't had it in a long time… or perhaps I am just worried about Ichikaru-san and Ayame-chan. Before I left for those 3 years… you can say that family was like my family… Don't you think it's a natural thing to be concerned about those who cared about you in the past, Hinata?"
To my surprise, or possibly I should have expected from Hinata, she smiled warmly and nodded to my question. Hinata was indeed a kind soul that was hard to find amongst the modern people in this weird society; it somewhat made me ponder why women these days chose not to be like Hinata? All I knew was Sakura was nearly a complete opposite of this childhood sweetheart who was next to me.
"Ichikaru-san and Ayame-san must be quite important to you, ne?" Hinata asked, her head looking towards to the right, her cheeks were also radiating a pretty shade of reddish pink.
"Yeah…"
"Naruto-kun…"
"Ano, Hinata,"
"Hai?"
I placed my right hand on my hip, and smiling at her gently. Fortunately enough, it was sufficient to make her smile wider. "Care to tell me where Ichikaru Ramen shop is located now? I am sure you're hungry, too."
My question seemed to snap her out of it. Once more, her blushing stained her cheeks because she thought she was lost in her own little world for that mere second. Even if I didn't mind her having her own thoughts, it was quite certain that she found her own awkwardness to be an annoyance. Hinata always tried hard to be perfect, no… decent, rather. I should have really told her to relax and take things more easily, since overdoing it usually gained no success.
If there was anything that I learned from the outside world, that would be never attempt to accomplish things that would never give you a profitable, beneficial outcome. I knew this was not much of an Uzumaki Naruto belief, and to be honest I never believed this became my motto, but trying to accomplish everything by myself was putting too much strain and emotional pressure upon my body. It was too much…
"We just need to head back and turn right…" Hinata explained, trying not to stutter, or perhaps she just didn't want to get us lost in this area, "and we should see the main road. Ichikaru Ramen is on the right."
"Ah," I said, recalling her instructions or directions, "basically we head back and turn two rights… I gotcha."
Within minutes, the two of us finally made it to the shop. Sadly to say, our hand never sealed with another's.
(At Ichikaru Ramen, six minutes later)
I received a good welcome the moment I entered the shop. From the stand three years ago, this place was definitely better and bigger. Nowadays, they could fit customers instead of people needing to wait for their turn. Because of that, Ichikaru Ramen strongly preferred pick-up service. Presently, I wondered if that service was currently available. Well, it didn't matter now, all I cared for was a bowl of noodles. Of course, I wanted Hinata to be there.
"Good evening, Hinata-san," greeted Ayame happily, "It has been a while!"
Hinata approached the counter where as I stayed a foot behind her to observe the new surrounding in silence. Girl talks were never something guys should get involved in –unless the girls wanted you to be a part of it. In short, no permission meant intrusion.
"Yeah, it has," Hinata said back, smiling brightly when she saw her friend this cheerful, "I am sorry that I haven't been here too often these days. Neji-ni-san and Tenten-nee-san have been asking me to train with them, and it's in the opposite direction of this area. Yeah, gomen-ne for not able to visit often."
So… Hinata is a common customer…
"I suppose you came at the right time," continued Ichikaru-san's only daughter. By the looks of it, she was at least 18 to 19. I must've been hanging with Jiraiya too often, since the first things I looked at were Ayame-chan's hips… and then her breasts despite her uniform covering it well. Hinata and Sakura wouldn't be impressed if they found out what was roaming in my mind… Damn you, Kakashi… Jiraiya! "The store isn't so busy yet, and so we can talk for a while."
"How were things last week?"
"Even if you were here I would be too busy to stop and say 'hi'. Ever since we moved here, each meal period had been hectic… even hiring two other people isn't enough to ease the uneasiness. When Ishida-kun grows older, I am going to make him work here." I didn't even know who Ishida was, but from the way Ayame was speaking I safely assumed that it was her brother.
"You think Ishida-chan would become a master of ramen one day?"
"Maybe, but I won't lose to him that easily."
I listened to enough crap already. Not trying to be inconsiderate or anything, but I was willing to pay for their food, yet the ladies were socializing amongst themselves, as if I was invisible.
"Ah, Ayame-san," Hinata spoke a second before my voice cord was able to project a sound, "I brought an old customer today. He is right here." Hinata took my wrist and gently guided me forward, therefore, Ayame and I could start a conversation. The Ichikaru girl looked at me for a second, eyes obviously observing my head to toe like a scanner or some sort. In all honesty, it was somewhat uncomfortable to have a cute young woman watching me with the intent to inspect my well being. I just wished she could've been faster.
"You really look familiar…" Ayame stated, still curious as to know who I was. However, her memories were refreshed as soon as Ichikaru-san came out from the kitchen.
"Is this who I think it is!" he exclaimed, genuinely surprised to see me again, "It's my best customer!"
"Hey, old man," I greeted, a smile never leaving my face, "How are you doing?"
He stepped forward kindly to show his appreciation, "My, you have grown up, Naruto," he laughed like how fellow middle aged people chuckled to show their friendliness, "You are as tall as Ayame-chan, or maybe you are taller… I still remember you being a little midget before you left, and now look at you, you look like a gentleman…" Hinata giggled at his words, and I safety believed it was the midget part. I could scowl back, but the gentleman part really forbade me to do anything rude.
"How did you know I left for training?"
"Iruka-san came in after you left for a week," he explained, still grinning, "I was wondering what happened to you when you haven't showed up once in a week. You do remember how many times you visited us in the old days, right?"
"Yeah, I am starting to remember," I replied with high spirits, "and I always thought your ramen was the best compared to the rest."
"You always know how to make me happy, Naruto," the old man said, chuckling audibly, and Ayame seemed quite happy herself. "But I think Ayame-chan's cooking is also quite amazing." He then turned to his daughter, "You wouldn't mind fixing a meal for Naruto now, would you, Ayame-chan?" To my surprise, the said girl appeared to panic. She wasn't hysterical, no, she was just embarrassed.
"I can't do that, otou-san…" Ayame whined as Hinata and I gave glanced between the father and daughter respectively. We were more or less amused.
"And why not, Ayame-chan? It the first time that Naruto came back after so long, you should show him how much you have improved."
"I'm not that good, otou-san… I might mess up…"
"I tried it before, and it tasted great! I am sure Naruto would like it, too. Ah, Hinata-chan, you have tried Ayame-chan's cooking, right?"
"Yes…" Hinata returned her response shyly.
"How did it taste then?"
"Good, really good. I say it's really unique… it's delicious."
"There you have it, Ayame-chan," stated old man Ichikaru profoundly, "Even Hinata-chan likes your cooking and says it's more than satisfactory, I am sure that Naruto would like it, too…"
"But…"
I decided to step in, since I didn't want Ayame to be pressured. "If you don't really want to cook… you don't have to, Ayame-san…" In order to brighten this awkward situation into something cheerful, my mouth curved into a wide smile. "It doesn't really matter what I eat, as long as it fills my stomach. And I don't want something so insignificant to pressure you, when my hunger is not any of your business. I'll just have the usual; the miso ramen deluxe."
"It would be a shame not to have Ayame's cooking," the owner of this place said, shaking his head at his daughter's stubbornness. "Well, it can't be helped if Ayame-chan isn't willing to concede to it." I gave a look towards the older girl, somewhat along with a begging look. Although I didn't want to give stress upon others, I was looking forward to have Ayame's cooking. Then again, it could be because I was starving.
"Otou-san…" Ayame said silently, "Please… I'll cook…"
With that being declared, old man Ichikaru and Hinata both smiled gratefully. Having no other reason to stay out here, Ayame went back into the kitchen and began to fix up something delicious despite that she never received my order yet. As long as her heart was in it, that was all that mattered.
(Minutes later)
My eyes endlessly watched Ayame during her time cooking. Although Hinata was sitting next to me the entire time, I didn't look at her just yet. The aura I felt told me that Hinata wanted someone to talk with her instead of sitting there all alone, but I couldn't keep my eyes off Ayame. I just needed a bit more time to observe; I hope Hinata was understanding enough to know what I was doing.
I never would've expected to know making ramen needed gracefulness and skill. Everything in life needed experience; I just didn't know the true magnificence of it before. At the same time, my admiration of loving ramen might have caused me to take delight in the process of fixing it. I was a freak, I knew that. Her fingers were working like magic… so swift, so gentle at the touch… She was even good at using a knife! How I wanted to do that…
I was pretty good with my kunai; I had to be if I wanted to live a several seconds longer on the battlefield. I always had a good one-stab-one-kill policy, and hell, I was proud of it. But the speed Ayame was using to cut vegetables shocked me. In seconds she was able to turn a whole ball of lettuce into shreds –what talent!
At that moment, I finally decided which picture I should start on.
"Naruto-kun…" the person next to me whispered, obviously wanting my attention, as my left hand took out a sketch book from my other weapon pouch on my left hip. "What are you doing?"
"I've thought of the perfect picture," I replied to Hinata, "Rest assured, I would make a good picture out of this."
She leaned in close, her nose was inches from the art paper that I was about draw on. Like I said many times before, Hinata was so adorable. If I knew her better as a friend, I think I wanted to kiss her cheek. I wouldn't mind at all, since her cheeks were demanding affection.
No, what the hell was I doing? Why was I fantasizing about Hyuuga Hinata? No, this wasn't right… I was not a sicko, and more so not someone who was desperate for love. Correction, despite that I wanted to be loved; I didn't desire to lust for it. But Hinata was so cute; those eyes of hers tempted every cell in my body to adore it; the way she licked her lips made her mouth shine under the light, as if her saliva was sweet and sparkly; the moment she ran her hand through her hair I wanted to touch it myself… Hinata was someone beyond my expectations.
"You draw?" Hinata questioned me, eyes hopeful and filled with admiration. I remembered that look from a long time ago, but I just didn't know what to call it back then. No doubt I knew Hinata had feelings for someone such as wretched as me. "When did you pick this up?"
I smiled before facing her slightly. To the least, she could see the right side of my face. "When I was traveling with that ero-sennin…" Hinata blinked in confusion; she obviously didn't know who I was referring to. Coughing just a little bit, I continued, "I mean, sensei, Jiraiya-sensei… Anyway, that bastard… or sensei… let's just say he isn't the most responsible mentor. Instead of spending time training me, he does something else."
"What is this something else, Naruto-kun?"
A sweat came down from the back of my head before it slowly dangled at the edge of my skin; why couldn't it just drop so it could ease me from the coldness? I didn't know how to explain to her… why did she ask me like it was the easiest thing to do? As soon as I tell her, I screw up my image forever. Damn honest is the best policy, but that fact took over my judgments. Swallowing to calm myself, I decided to tell her the truth.
"He has a liking to take off undergarments from random sluts in bars," I explained, keeping a straight face. Hinata covered her mouth with her hands, and her face was smearing with a deep coating of pink. I really should've considered my choices, but no, I had to spill everything. Now Hinata would think that I was a pervert, and I had myself to blame because I was just so stupid! "Sorry…"
"Naruto-kun…" she called out my name nervously. I assumed it was reasonable to be shaky now; even I wouldn't be too comfortable if I hugged someone who was heavily influenced by a pervert.
"What is it…"
"I don't think you used the right word back there…"
"What do you mean? Which word are you talking about?"
"Slut…"
"I used it wrong? How? Tell me."
"You should've used the word 'whore'," she corrected with good intentions, "It's better."
"How is that better?" I inquired, completely confused due to two things. One, whore and slut were awful words to call a woman. Two, why was Hinata completely unaffected about this entire ordeal? Didn't she think that there could be a problem with me? As far as I was concerned, there were perverted traits within my mind that desperately wanted to break free and lust! But no, she was CORRECTING my use of vocabulary!
"Women working in bars are considered whores… because whores get paid and sluts are women who do it voluntarily…"
I wanted to fall off my chair.
"What are you saying, Hinata!" I practically screamed with exasperation, "Shouldn't you feel angry or something?"
"For what?" she asked innocently, and even blinked to show her utmost confusion.
"You know that ero-sennin, my sensei, is the perfect pervert, and as his apprentice… don't you feel that I am a suspicious individual?" I was trying way too hard to send her the message, and yet, Hinata merely battled her eyes.
"No, how come? Did you think that I would picture you as a pervert because your mentor was one?"
"Yes, yes! That's exactly it."
"I don't think Naruto-kun is a pervert though…" she told me sincerely before she grinned.
"You serious?" I questioned, not believing my ears, "You better have some kind of reasonable justification…"
"I do, Naruto-kun. Well... if you are a pervert… you could've groped me long before we got here. We were hugging, remember? And all you did was hold me… tightly in your arms… making my heart feel warm and alive… I know you're not a pervert, Naruto-kun…"
I was shocked by the maturity she showed. Indeed, Hinata did grow up physically, and especially mentally. Perhaps her development surpassed mine, and although as a shinobi we needed to be physically fit, it was equally crucial to have wits. If we ever needed to quit being a ninja, at least we have some sort of alternative to settle for different careers.
"Hinata…"
"Ano… let's not talk about that right now… you were about to tell me why you draw, right?" Once again, I was taken aback to see her change the subject. I thought she wanted to know more about affection, and perhaps she was eager to figure out how I felt about her as a friend. However, if she took the initiative to switch topics, I had no means to object. Hinata was sensitive, I knew that much.
"Right… I will say this, too, my sensei is not only a pervert, he is a perverted writer. And that means he wants me to read his work very often so I could become his precedent. Obviously, I don't read it or I would've groped you everywhere as soon as you latched yourself at me. I do get bored, yes, and instead of reading… you can say I fell in love with visual arts." I reached into my second pouch and took out a set of coloured pencils and pens. Hinata looked quite impressed at the materials I used to create my masterpieces.
"Sugoi (Amazing), Naruto-kun…" she said, holding the pencils to her eye level, "They look expensive…"
"They weren't cheap," I told her as I started to draw the shop already. Of course, I was planning to have Ayame cutting the vegetables in the center of my work, "But it's all worth it."
"Are you drawing Ayame-san?" Hinata stole a peek. Or rather, she was watching me the entire time. "You remember how she looked like moments before?"
"You can say I trained my memory to be good at remembering short-term stuff," I said, although not looking at her since I needed to focus on the picture. Despite it being rude, I was certain that Hinata could understand my perspectives. "I would be done soon."
"Why do you draw, Naruto-kun?"
"Because… well, it's my way to remember people and events…"
"Do you… do you…" This time around, I took a glimpse at her because she was stuttering. However, I didn't expect her endearing face to be blushing again; it was increasing her cuteness drastically. In addition to motivate my hormones further, there was a fan blowing from behind her, therefore, the winds sent her sweet scent into my senses. She wasn't just cute… Hinata… it was as if she transformed.
"Do I what?" I tried hard not to break or keep that wretched blush on my face.
"Do you ever… can you show me some of your pictures?" Okay, it was quite clear to anyone that Hinata changed her question midway. What was it before… I couldn't tell with the lack of words that she spilled. I could simply pretend that I didn't hear it, but my heart wanted to know what she was thinking. Somehow, I felt that Hinata's feelings shouldn't be ignored so she could be happy, like how she had made me when I found out she had been there for me when I was still a boy.
I reverted to the same method that I used on her when we were at my apartment; take her chin delicately and warmly make her look at me. In order for Hinata to soften up, I had to smile, in which I did to get to grin back despite how timid it was. Perhaps I was forcing her too much when I saw glittering in her eyes. I knew they were tears, but I wanted Hinata to share her true desires with me so badly. Was I hard to approach? She was about to cry when her anxiety level reached its limit, and it was then I showed her my smile.
It was somewhat easy to know Hinata's likes and dislikes by her shyness, and my assumptions proved to be correct when she smiled back under affection.
"Hinata," I called, holding her smooth, small chin, and my mouth was nearly kissing hers, "What were you about to ask me?"
"What?"
It was time to penetrate her defenses in the most direct fashion. I needed to take drastic measures to achieve my goals. "You weren't thinking about my other pictures, Hinata, I know that. Were you trying to ask me if I had pictures of Sakura?" That was merely an assumption, but I had a good cause to suggest it, since Hinata did show concern about my comrade's reaction towards everything –especially Sakura's way of showing her friendliness to me. The girl in front of me shook her head before blushing once more. "Then what is it?"
I saw her swallowing her nervousness, in which I wished I didn't pressure her too much, but she seemed to gain the confidence she needed when she looked into my eyes. "Naruto-kun… I just want to ask… I want to know… if you… if you ever…"
I was so close, damn, I really was! Just when I was about to listen to Hinata's confession, somebody interrupted us from my left. The delicious odour of ramen followed a second later. Although we were interrupted, the smell of these noodles was just too difficult to ignore. My face turned from being annoyed to delight –or perhaps just neutral, since I was somewhat disappointed to experience such intrusion.
My forehead created a sweat as soon as I saw the bowl of ramen that was made for me. Not trying to be exaggerating, but my bowl was enormous. Not only that, Ayame had contents filled up at least 3 feet high. There were lettuce, cabbage slices, chicken, beef, shrimps, seafood, sliced carrots, chopped up tomatoes… there was lamb meat in there as well! They were all piled up like a mountain, how could I finish this?
I took a glance over to Ayame, and she was smiling with humility along with a small shade of red. Surely enough she hoped that I liked her creation. Next, I moved on to Hinata, who had a bowl of shrimp ramen. Her eyes never left my share of food, and I swore that she moaned a 'sugoi' inaudibly as she broke her chopsticks in two.
"Enjoy," Ayame said happily, "I hope you would like my cooking, Naruto."
"Thank you…" I replied, left eye twitching endlessly at this gigantic serving, "But… isn't this too much though?"
"You ordered a miso ramen deluxe, right?"
"Yeah… but… this is more like deluxe-deluxe-deluxe-deluxe…" I said, still amazed at the size of this thing.
"It's my treat to you."
"Why?"
"It's my family's way to welcome you back, Naruto." The sincerity she carried touched my heart. Even so… I might not be able to finish this. Over these years, my stomach had been declining food instead of craving for it. Jiraiya thought it was weird for an adolescent not to be eating, but then again, no one said my body was normal.
As soon as I put Kyuubi into account, all made sense.
"Thank you," I said again, as I reached for my frog-like wallet, "How much do I owe you?"
"Don't worry about that," Ayame told me and Hinata at the same time, "This one is on us."
It was then when my conscience came into play. I couldn't accept that kind offer Ayame just made. My bowl of ramen was expensive, I knew that. At first I was only going to pay for a fraction of the cost, and now it was for free? How could I accept it? If this was any other shop, I wouldn't have cared, but Ichikaru Ramen was different. I didn't want them to be losing profit.
"Ayame-san," I interrupted her, putting my payment onto the polished counter before placing it in her hands, "Here, take it, there is no need for you to be so kind to me. I would feel guilty if I didn't spend a cent in here." To my disbelief, Ayame handed the money back.
"No, no, Naruto, it's okay. Otou-san said that it would be his treat."
I pushed on, giving the money back. "I appreciate your offer, but it's the thought that counts. I will treat you all to dinner one night, but you can't let me leave here with free food. It's not like I am not coming back now since I live here again."
By this time, Hinata was already done with her food, and I didn't even start yet. Without the two of us noticing, Hinata joined the conversation. To be precise, she actually whispered something in my ear. "Naruto-kun, you will make Ayame-san unhappy if you insist to pay for your food."
My right eye flashed a confused look at her. She sighed a little bit and thought of the appropriate reasoning before she whispered more. "This is Ayame-san's gift for you, like… she's happy that you have come back, it's her way to show her happiness because she doesn't have anything else to give you. Naruto-kun, I would be sad too if you paid me for cleaning your house. I wanted to do it wholeheartedly, not because I wanted to receive money."
Once Hinata explained it like that, I finally understood. Despite guilt was playing its games in my mind, I decide to give in immediately without further retaliation. Come to think of it, Ayame did this because she had a great heart, and besides Ayame looked very appreciated because I was considerate. Maybe isolation did do something in my head; perhaps I have become too humble.
Who would've expected a loudmouth idiot that radiated with a sense of undying power to be acknowledged to transform into a calm, understanding adolescent? My enthusiasm died down, even Jiraiya noticed that change in me, but I guessed that desiring to be acknowledged was not actually my goal in life. Instead, perchance my real intentions were to have the people I cared about see me as somebody. Having Konoha and their fateless idiots to acknowledge me was almost an impossible dream, why not be reasonable and aim for something smaller? I learned to be sober, and because I failed to understand it back then I got myself into a lot of shit.
Hinata… she was able to open my eyes again… I still had a lot to learn in order to adapt to this society.
(An hour later)
Neither of us had any plans after dinner; it was obvious I didn't have any when I just came back. The best I could do now was to get home and sleep, but leaving Hinata alone just didn't feel right. In the end, I chose to walk around town with her. First of all, I could keep her company, and secondly, knowing the changes in this town was beneficial for my sake. How I wished I was in a cozy bed right now, I believed that the coming-home-hike this morning drained quite a bit of my spirit today; well, it wasn't like I had much spirit any day.
How many times did I tell myself that Hinata was gorgeous? It must have been at least a hundred by now…
"Naruto-kun…" I heard Hinata calling me from my right. Our hands, unfortunately, were kept next to ourselves, not daring to touch a hand that didn't belong to ours. Was it my imagination or did I feel cold without Hinata holding me?
"What?" I said back, telling her that I was paying attention.
"You seem… different…"
"How so?" I questioned, watching her pretty face along with a weak smile. Damn, my body was already faltering!
"You seemed to have died down…"
"Died down? What do you mean? Do I act dead to you, Hinata?"
She caught my own sense of dissatisfaction. Actually, I wasn't pissed off, I was more or less confused. However, she took it a bit too hard. "Gomen! Gomen! I didn't mean it like that!"
"It's fine," I cooed her like I would to a little girl. If I just met Hinata, I thought she was only twelve, but in fact, she was at least fifteen. "Just tell me what you mean, I'll listen."
After receiving some encouragement –in spite of the fact that it was minimal- Hinata continued in the best of her ability. "It's just… you aren't like… Naruto-kun, you have been really quiet…"
"Is that so?" I inquired, totally unaffected by her comment –in which she first thought it was a direct attack to my persona and unique attitude. Hinata's face appeared puzzled. "I guess I just don't have a lot to say…"
"But Naruto-kun was always energetic back then," she reminded me of the old days. I didn't know if I should thank her or scowl at her for recalled those wretched times… I certainly wanted to forget some of them, but yet they relentlessly purged themselves into my head. "You wouldn't stop talking until Sakura-san or Shikamaru hit you on your head…"
"Sorry," I muttered apologetically, as if I was asking for forgiveness, "I am sorry that I am not the kind of talkative person that you first thought I was. If I gave you any sort of boredom during these several hours… I am regretful…"
Hinata did not expect that. Hell, she never thought Uzumaki Naruto knew how to fit those words together in the same sentence! To my surprise… I didn't either. It must've been the kindness of detachment from human beings during the training. Instead of trying to communicate with people, I only learned how to speak in a way that could please others in order for them to believe I was a normal person.I was a lousy talker… maybe because I only spoke to Jiraiya and Kyuubi so often that I lack the knowledge to speak with another living person.
It wasn't long before Hinata showed her worries. In fact, she immediately held onto my hand, trying desperately to indicate that she was there for me. She was kind; too kind. Her lavender iris shined under tonight's moonlight, therefore, her beautiful features glowed, as if it was her moment to shine.
I almost had an urge to kiss her… What the hell was wrong with me?
"Naruto-kun… what happened to you? The Naruto-kun I would know would love to train… he would tell others his successes despite who it may be… Naruto-kun, you smile all the time, you are obsessed to get stronger… but now… you actually sit down and work on art…"
Disappointment was only an understatement now. She thought I was dead? I was more than willing to show her that I wasn't dead, and either was my immoral outrage. "You something against it? Why does my interest to draw have to do with you, Hinata? What, can't a person pick up a hobby or two? Is it wrong? Is it a sin? Does it happen to affect your daily lifestyle? I think not, Hinata, so mind your own business!"
She couldn't hold it anymore. Therefore, Hinata started to argue back –loudly. "The Naruto-kun that left Konoha 3 years ago would never know how to appreciate art!" Wow, that almost sounded like an insult. "He would never sit down and learn how to be patient with things… unless something happened to him… Naruto-kun, did something sad happen when you were out there?"
Hinata was indeed sharp, very vigilant if I could compliment her any more on her detection skills. At the same time, I didn't answer. In fact, I didn't want to. "Iie (No)…" I said, not looking her way, "Everything was fine."
"How fine?"
I decided to give her a fairly brief yet thorough report. "Got minor scratches and bruises from time to time, no broken bones, didn't lose my virginity, didn't become an ultra pervert after being with a pervert, kicked plenty of people's asses, had good meals, had crappy meals, lost my innocence, got my ass kicked enough times, fell off a cliff, smashed my back onto boulders, falling off more cliffs because I don't know how to fly, drowning in rivers due to high currents, being washed down waterfalls, experiencing a lot of kunai stabs… and aside from that, everything is fine."
She seemed to be disgusted and worried. It should've been expected from someone as cute as Hinata. She was just too kind to me. "That's awful, Naruto-kun…"
"You win some and you lose a lot," I assured her honestly.
"You seem to be just losing though…"
"Then call me Legendary Sucker Number 2."
"Isn't that Hokage-sama's nickname? Why do people call her that?"
"You really don't know Tsunade-sama well then, Hinata," I chuckled inwardly before laughing out loud with much control, "She just gambles a lot, and loses around eighty percent of the time. You can say she loses so much each time that it has become a legend. If you ever gambled with her, you would win for sure." My mind got more interested with each sentence, and luckily Hinata's anger diminished as she joined in to listen. "It was a long time ago… but Tsunade lost nine hundred and ninety nine times in 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' against me."
"Really, Naruto-kun? Is Hokage-sama that bad?"
"Very."
"Why don't you talk about yourself, Naruto-kun?" Hinata suddenly suggested, smiling to make the atmosphere more comfortable for the two of us. My feelings quickly changed to defensive.
"What is there to talk about? You heard what I did."
"But… I want to know more in detail…" Hinata was persistent to know my thoughts; did she have an idea how irritating it was? Then again, I was attempting to pry through her barriers not too long ago. Uzumaki Naruto was a horrible hypocrite. I wanted to turn away and end the conversation; I wanted to anything that could make me run away from this damned thing. However, I wished that I could; but I could not when Hinata tugged onto my sleeve, not willing to let go. "Don't run away from me…"
"Sorry…"
"It's it my fault?"
I was just lost. "What are you saying?"
"Is it because you don't want to talk to me? Is that it? Is it because Naruto-kun thinks that I am boring and dull?" How did she jump to such conclusions? Not only were they ridiculous, they were utterly untrue! I didn't feel that way because she was Hinata, hell, I felt no favoritism towards anyone in particular. The dilemma was rather simple actually, it was because I wanted to keep everything to myself instead of exposing it to the public. Then again, how long could I maintain my problems inside?
As far as I was concerned, Uzumaki Naruto was close to suffer from depression.
Perhaps I had enough of my fake mask; smiling all the time like an idiot and pretending that everything was fine when it clearly wasn't. If I was sad; then be sad. Whenever I was happy; be happy to the max. If the villagers were giving me shit occasionally… I didn't know why I radiated with delight… the least I could've done was show them that I was pissed off and probably fight back! The philosophy 'turning the other cheek' in the Bible didn't apply to these bastards! The more I tried to be nice, the more they would hurt me because they knew deep down I was deadly miserable.
Turning the other cheek… what utter blasphemy! I applauded the humility of that philosophy; no, I could praise the person who could perform the impossible, since no one in this entire damn, fucking shinobi world would be that fucking stupid to get themselves fucked up because they wanted to be more perfect. Once I turn the other unwounded cheek, Kyuubi-haters would punch it. They saw through my intentions like glass; the reason why I would ever consider 'turning the other cheek' was so I could reduce the emotional damage I received daily. And being typical jackasses, they wouldn't want their fun to be limited.
The moment someone cuts a fraction of their entertainment away, it would be as extreme as chopping off their genitals. Since they were smart people, they decided to deal maximum damage to my emotional department within the shortest amount of time. I was overwhelmed… completely… as if my mind caved in, declaring forfeit. I felt that all was lost, I believed that I was a hopeless person who belonged in the deepest pits of burning hell, and possibly deserved more. I was dying to give a comeback, I was praying to kami-sama to guide me through this.
And although I lived under this pressure, I certainly didn't survive too gracefully.
Sometimes… I loathed intelligence –actually, I loathed it because I lacked it at the crucial times.
Once I noticed the genuine concern plastering all over her cute, petite visage… I gave in. I couldn't resist that face. To be more precise, it wasn't because Uzumaki Naruto crumbled in front of women, rather, Hinata was about to cry. I said it before; I hated people crying –especially those who I cared about. What made my heart so worried over this girl? It was weird and foreign, but then again, I suppose it was a fortunate chance to have someone able to revive my humanity.
"Hinata…" guilt dripping from every corner of my voice.
"Hmmm?" the girl said back, eyes blinking in a natural sweet way.
"I'll tell you what happened during my trip, okay?"
Closing her beautiful lavender eyes, she nodded with a smile. A smiling Hinata was a lovely Hinata; I could admit that much without any doubts or concerns. Perhaps I could tell her about everything; I just had to wait and see.
AN: Another pathetic attempt done. Thank you so much for your honest support. I, OpposingForce, truly appreciated it. I wish you all the best.