the breakup call
chapter 3
a/n: I'm so incredibly happy about all of the reviews! Some of them I giggled at, most of them I smiling as I read along. Thank you all for taking the time to post them, it makes me so happy! ;u;
I do not own Naruto, and never will.
as winter break is over, unfortunately updates will be considerably slower, but no matter what I will try my best to get this story finished, so fear not! :)
also, i'd just like to thank icecream26 who is now my fabulous and lovely BETA reader, so this chapter is dedicated to her! :)
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Every word that escaped Naruto's mouth only left a gaping hole in Hinata's chest. Widening further and further, delivering an insufferable, internal pain that resonated around her body. However, not only was it due to hearing Naruto's words, but simply due to his entire presence.
Perceiving Naruto with her own eyes once again, recognising him; his familiar aroma wafting in the atmosphere — he smelt like a falling, autumn evening. That musky, sweet scent of maple trees and earthen freshness of nature. His hoarse voice, dulcet tones elucidating nostalgia.
She thought she'd never see him again. After graduating from high school, she no longer saw him the way she used to — period two on a Tuesday morning for the maths class they attended together. That quickly transitioned from the two seeing each other every week to… not at all, really. They had no reason to see each other, after all.
While Hinata was certifiably head first in love, utterly enthralled by this boy, he hadn't the slightest clue. It was so clear that she'd ceased to exist in his memory, apparent by the fact that her face was no longer recognisable to him. He'd completely forgotten about her, consigned to oblivion.
Her head was burdened with madness, wondering: why was he here? Why did it have to him? Why did they have to meet again, like this? The poor girl was completely speechless, words dry in her mouth and though he had no idea of the detonation ensuing mentally, Hinata swore her eyes gave her thoughts away. She was choked up and distraught, almost in as much of a mess as Naruto was.
"I called Sakura about the whole ordeal yesterday, by the way."
Mouth loitering open in shock, the continuous thumping against Hinata's chest amplified considerably.
"I was so naive — I… I actually thought for a second we'd be back together," Naruto informed her, watching her stunted reaction, "But she was confused, and so was I, to put it simply."
Mouth loitering open in shock, the continuous thumping against Hinata's chest amplified considerably. It all began hitting her now, sparks in her mind triggering, because only now did it begin to sink in how stupid, utterly reckless she'd been. Questioning and crying internally, Hinata could already feel herself break down from one, simple sentence.
Hinata was a little taken back, dismay evident in her eyes.
"How horrified was she to find out that someone was posing as her?" she questioned, hitch caught in her throat and carrying lungs that were close to giving in.
Awaiting this horrendous outcome, she braced herself for the upcoming, turn of events.
He uttered a string of inaudible words, "I didn't tell her."
"W-What? Why not?" she questioned, voice taut.
"I didn't know, at the time myself." Naruto chuckled under his breath. "At first, I thought Sakura just forgot, the way she was denying everything. But then after the call, it kinda hit me, the thought that I was intoxicated."
"So you figured out that you weren't in the right state of mind therefore causing you to dial the wrong number?"
Wanting to mentally beat herself up, Hinata was entirely embarrassed, knowing she'd taken advantage of the drunken situation and used that to convince him that she was indeed, 'Sakura'. Having reminisced on it, Hinata felt incredibly irresponsible and foolish to have done such things.
"Yeah," Naruto confirmed. "And you know what sucked? You actually really, really sounded like her. Your voice was so soft, and calm. It was so real." His head was a whirlwind, a vortex of disaster.
It was so obvious that he was hopelessly, endlessly, utterly in love with this woman. Completely intoxicated with her entire existence. She was speechless, really, her head aching and a sudden twinge in her heart.
Hinata's shoulders drooped, as she reflected on the hurricane of a mess she was caught in. Hinata Hyuuga had her own issues, her own personal list of problems but this was something she had irresponsibly caused herself.
"I don't even know why I'm telling you this," Naruto questioned himself, laughing quietly and sending her a soothing grin, his bright teeth visible.
"I-I see…" Hinata quavered, "The other night, I just… wanted to make you happy. I've been in a state where all I need to hear are comforting words—"
"But not everyone's like you, Hinata..." Although Naruto spoke softly, a reassured smile trying to help her get through it like he was trying to, his words still electrocuted her.
Selfish. Did he think it too? Was he echoing the words of everyone else, thinking the same way they did?
"I-I know… but I just thought…"
She didn't cry — no, she couldn't. She couldn't cry for her own personal, petty problems which were minuscule in comparison to the destruction she'd brought to Naruto as a result of her selfishness.
Swallowing the dry saliva caught in her throat, Hinata murmured, "It's just… when I said it, I just couldn't stop. Naruto-kun, I can't express how much relief I could hear through the phone. Everything you said was so passionate and loving, it made me want to carry on, just to hear the sound of your happiness. You were a stranger, sure. But that didn't stop me. You just…" Hinata fumbled for the right word, "overwhelmed me."
The two were no longer avoiding each other's gaze. They made direct eye contact — a mutually, pained connection weaving their fate together. Perhaps it was a little forced, but Naruto tugged a smile at his lips and flashed a cheesy grin, trying to ease the atmosphere between them both. It certainly worked, the air growing light-hearted.
"You had good intentions, Hinata."
His gaze warmed her like a wildfire, flames devouring her whole. His words were intertwined with warmth, kindness. His mind had cleared, and he was able to think straight in front of her.
"But, y'know, the pain you're feeling now is merely a fragment of the pain you inflicted on me," his tone was quiet, not ruthlessly yelling or ranting at her.
Her indestructible wall, her resistance, wanted to deteriorate. She wanted to break down, crying pathetically because of what she had done, how foolish of a human being she was, but she just couldn't bring herself to — because she had no right to cry in front of him.
"I-I know… you're probably feeling a thousand times worse than I am," she agreed, "But I just can't help feeling so upset to see what I've done to you. I wanted to make you happier." Hinata pronounced the last word delicately, softening and lengthening her vowels.
Naruto gave her a small smile, clear that he'd fed in to what she said. Silence suppressed them for a minute or two, before Naruto changed the subtopic.
"All I'm doing is going around in circles."
"W-Why?" she choked up, breath getting knocked out of her lungs.
"At first, I thought I could get her back, but then I moved on, hopelessly trying to get over her, and now I don't even know what I'm doing anymore." He'd grown breathless at the result of the endless discussion. "I'm pathetic."
Reaching forward, she cupped his cheek tentatively, the coldness of her palms conducting through the warmth of his skin. Warmth that resembled his never-ending, unyielding determination,warmth that mirrored inviting arms and protection, warmth that resembled a home.
Apprehension drowned her eyes. Initially, she saw his body language entirely enclosed from her, a physical barrier distancing them. But now, it was different. His arms uncrossed themselves as he let her in, merely by a fragment, but it was a start.
She knew about his loneliness, his fathomless sea of angst, and that was when she deduced that humans had never ever relished in isolation. Being completely alone only really spurred that hollow, empty feeling deep in one's gut. No one liked that, and neither did Naruto.
"You're a mess. I know, I've been there before, so just listen to me," she empathised, "You're a disaster, a little broken right now, and that's okay, you have every right to be."
Hinata silenced him. "But it needs to come to an end. Otherwise you're going to spend months of your life lingering hopelessly on to 'what could have been' or 'what should have happened'. Don't." Her words were a song, melodic and serene.
Hinata's icy cold hands were quivering against his heated cheeks, but her resilience kept her from breaking down. She disguised any pain she felt in the midst of the silence.
"Naruto-kun, I've only genuinely known you for a couple of hours, but…" she mumbled, "I think you're an amazing guy. I cannot describe how apologetic I am for deceiving you, but the only thing I can possibly do is tell you this. The earth is never going to stop orbiting around the sun, nor is the sun going to stop rising everyday — the world is going to continue, everyday, like it normally always has. So please, do the same."
Hinata cried a little bit inside, knowing she'd lied to him. Truthfully, she hadn't known him just "for a couple of hours"; no, he had no idea, that he was in fact her very first love.
xxx
Awoken by the sounds rumbling outside her bedroom, Hinata rubbed a sleepy eye in a state somewhere lingering between consciousness and sleep.
Several days had passed since her last meeting with the Uzumaki, and Hinata was in her bedroom, attentive to the footsteps creaking nearer. It was almost like that day never happened — almost. Perhaps Naruto had entirely forgotten about the situation, but Hinata had not. It was fresh in her memory, recalling on it every moment she could and still reminiscent of the feeling of her hands against his warm cheeks that weren't too hot to burn, but warm enough.
Keys chimed and her ears sharpened at the sound of them being used to lock her apartment, despite her grogginess.
"Kiba?" Hinata forcefully murmured, her sleep patterns disrupted by the resonating sounds of his sudden arrival. "Kiba-kun?" she echoed, voice gradually louder. Hinata forced her body to depart the bed, bare feet chilly and tapping against the wooden floorboards.
Then, she glimpsed at the muscular figure at the door — Kiba stood stationary, hanging his belongings by the coat hanger and unaware of her presence. "Kiba-kun!" she repeated, again, but with an unbelievable amount of enthusiasm that she didn't even know she was capable of. Hinata fell in to his arms — warm and cosy, a loving home for her.
Unmistakably, her face was a bit of a mess, tousled hair sticking up in odd areas and drool remaining on the side of her mouth but she could hardly care, and neither did Kiba. The two were just so utterly content in being in each other's arms, and at that moment, that was all that mattered.
"Hinata, I didn't see you there," he uttered, caressing her hair, silky and laced around his long fingers. "Shit, I didn't mean to wake you up," he apologised, not receiving a response from his girlfriend.
The Hyuuga was too busy being infatuated with him, regaining a sense of his personal, masculine scent, preoccupied by the five inch height difference between them; completely and utterly lost in everything about him.
"It's fine, it's fine!" she grinned, expression quickly changing. "That was the longest business trip you've ever gone on," Hinata pouted, recalling the fact that he'd been gone for about two weeks, leaving her in complete seclusion.
She didn't want to mention it in fear of embarrassing herself, but in only a couple of days, Hinata hadn't felt isolation face her for such a long time — moreover, it'd grown to be a habit, Hinata arriving home from work and seeing her boyfriend's face light up everyday to her appearance. This habit had been broken over the course of the days he'd left, tearing Hinata apart.
He pressed his lips against her softly, craving her supple lips over the period of time he'd gone. "Yeah, and it's clear to see that you missed me."
"I-I can't help it," she flushed, "Did you not miss me?" Her tone grew concerned, wide eyes watching him panic.
Kiba, in a frenzied manner, barked, "Of course I did! I didn't mean it like that, I was teasing, I—"
"I know, Kiba-kun, I know," she laughed, slyness laced in her innocent giggle.
The poor boy breathed uneasily, raising his palm to his forehead. "Don't scare me like that Hinata! I thought you were genuinely angry."
In the midst of the darkness beyond their window, incandescent light illuminated their flat, a shadow falling behind their bodies.
"I promise I won't leave for that long, again," Kiba uttered, tucking a strand of Hinata's tresses behind her ear and snaking his arms around her waist. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent like she had, desperately yearning for her fruity aroma.
Hinata pulled away from him, inquiring, "W-What time is it, by the way?" She'd never really gotten used to him being so intimate with her, Kiba concluded.
"Hm? Well, it is…" His eyes darted to his watch. "4:26 in the morning."
Putting her index finger to her chin, Hinata pondered, "We've got an hour and a half before I need to get ready for work, what should we do?"
Shooting her a sly look, Kiba raised an eyebrow. A smirk plastered across his face devilishly as he began to suggest, "Well—"
Hinata, obviously flustered and glowing pink, yapped, "I-I can make us some coffee, and you can tell me everything that happened on your trip — and I made you some chocolate muffins!"
The mischievous look from Kiba's face washed away, repainted with a soft smile and an amiable nod.
The embarrassed tone of Hinata's voice was quickly dropped, as she adopted that of a more distressed one. "And, also, I need to tell you about something,"
Hinata agreed mentally that it was right to tell him, whether he'd like to hear the news or not — which, undoubtedly, he wouldn't.
Alarm silenced Kiba, before he managed to spit out, "What happened?"
"I went back to my family yesterday."
She was going to tell him about reconciling with Naruto — emphasis lying on the past tense. She was reluctant, but she was going to. That is, until Hinata remembered that he knew. He knew about how, many years ago, she was in love with Naruto Uzumaki, and fear erupted from her insides. Questions clogged her brain — would he stop letting her see him? Would he stop trusting her completely? Would he have doubts?
Knowing that she couldn't take the chance, Hinata scrapped the idea completely and established the fact that she would tell him at a later date. After all, she and Naruto were bound to part ways again. He had no reason to see her.
It would be good, if that did happen, and they did in fact part ways. Her resurfaced feelings for the blonde would die down again, just like it did many years ago. Deep in her heart, there were persisting thoughts that just wanted to seem him once again, hear his warm voice, watch his face glow like an early morning sunrise shining through the imminent darkness.
Kiba became a volcanic eruption, flaring with rage as he roared, "What the hell, Hinata?! Why? Why would you go back to that shitty household?" His nails dug in to Hinata's skin as he gripped her wrists protectively.
"N-Neji said it'd be good idea…"
"Well Neji's full of bullshit!"
Enraging Hinata, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes were narrow. "K-Kiba-kun!"
Kiba took a long, heavy breath, composing himself and letting go of her wrists. Red, wounded marks remained from where his nails jabbed in to her.
"I'm sorry, that was completely out of order," he apologised. "But still, Hinata, why? You didn't need to listen to him!"
A silence grew between them. "It's been three years," she murmured, "they're my blood-related family. I can't keep avoiding them like this, it's childish. I need to, at the very least, be on civil terms with my father. That's all I wanted."
"Well… did you get what you wanted?"
Hinata crawled on to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "No," she muttered, "I didn't."
She brought herself to tell him what happened, every detail included. From when she entered the house to when she ran away — every single part, though her words were awfully muffled and her voice would often crack and she'd explained the story half-heartedly (mostly just wishing to get it over and done with).
"I'm going to fucking kill the bastards, how dare he—" Kiba fumed.
She knew it. This was how their fights always begun — this was why she was so awfully reluctant and cautious when wording herself. However, she was still not cautious enough.
"No, Kiba-kun, please!" she agonised, "J-Just stop…" She didn't want his aggression, his roughness; she needed Kiba to be compassionate with her. She wanted reassurance.
"Hinata, I refuse to hold back! I'm going to go see them personally and knock every single one of them out, I swear, the bastards don't deserve to live after they've—"
"Kiba…" she agonisingly quavered, her pale eyes unfocused and trailing away from her boyfriend's.
"—I'm going to kick their asses for mistreating you, because you deserve ten times better than what they give you, I'm going to go over there right now and beat them dead—"
Kiba deadpanned, suddenly coming to standstill. Inwardly, he kicked himself. He'd entirely disregarded the fact that Hinata was on the floor, a blubbering disaster the longer he'd threaten her family members. "Fuck, Hinata. I got carried away, I…"
She continued to weep, as Kiba failed to comfort her the way she wanted. He just couldn't register why Hinata found it so challenging to discuss her feelings with him — why she couldn't just outwardly tell him to stop saying this, or stop doing that. Unbeknownst to him, it was her irrational fear that he would stop being in love with her; though it sounded silly, the thought only emulated an overwhelming terror.
He wrapped his arms around her, kneeling down to reach her height as he wearied, "damn, Hinata, why am I such an asshole?"
Sniffling and still trembling against Kiba's arms, Hinata comforted, "Y-You're not… don't worry, you just… can't control your feelings sometimes."
Growing concerned about his girlfriend, Kiba interlaced his fingers with Hinata's, equally sharing their warmth. They remained in that position for a while, the two kneeling on the floor and holding onto one another in dismay. Hinata's breathing returned to a steady pace, a signal for Kiba that she had composed to an inner, tranquil state.
"I'm sorry, Hinata, really," he apologised, eyes heavy with guilt.
Nodding in response, Hinata pulled her hands gradually away from his. It wasn't an indication that she was angry or upset with him, but rather a sign that she needed some time to herself and to regain her composure.
His face lit up like a firework, and proposed an idea, "How about you skip work today, and we go to that restaurant you really like in town?"
Hinata's hammered against her chest, unsure of how to respond. "O-Oh, I… Kiba-kun, that's a lovely idea, but I-I have an appointment to go today, and I can't miss it," she informed him, heart shattering at the sight of Kiba's smile dropping completely. "I'm so sorry."
That was a slight lie as well. It was less of an appointment, and more of a casual meeting — although it was debatable whether it was "casual", or not, considering she thought that Naruto disliked her after her selfish actions. Yes, she wanted to call Naruto later and meet up with him.
She never intended to lie to Kiba, it wasn't what she initially wanted, but having him aware that Naruto was back into her life was not something she wished to tell him, either. If he hadn't reacted well to the news about her family, it wasn't even the slightest bit possible that he'd react well to this, either.
Undeniably, Hinata felt extremely guilty, but the anxiety from the pit of her stomach just couldn't bring her to tell him. Ultimately, her fear overweighed her sense of guilt.
It'd have to remain unknown to him for now, but she swore to tell him at a later date. Naruto would've wanted that as well, therefore she was set on her decision.
Hinata promised herself.
xxx
A cough echoed across the room. "So, uh, care to explain why you've gathered us here today, Naruto?" Chouji questioned, the rest of the boys silently inquisitive about the fact that Naruto had gone out of his way to call of the boys and have them come round to his flat.
"No particular reason. Was just feeling it," Naruto stated, shoulders shrugging.
It was true. A random surge of enthusiasm resulted in Naruto inviting all of his friends to his flat, and though his intentions were clearly straightforward (all he really wanted to do was play a couple of video games and watch some movies), the boys begged to differ. They were skeptical in seeing their best friend transition from entirely distraught to being… ever so slightly, better than before.
Eyebrows raised everywhere, Chouji, Lee, and Shikamaru all shared the same baffled look amongst each other. Shikamaru piped up, "…That's it? Nothing else?"
Naruto nodded, sending them all disconcerting smiles, said, "Yup." He ascended from his position, grabbing some drinks for the boys and passed all the fizzy drinks around.
"No, seriously, Naruto what drugs are you on? Why are being so weird? Even when you're… normal, you never invite us round," Shikamaru pondered out loud, watching as Naruto put the Grand Theft Auto CD in to the Xbox and ignored his question.
"Anyone want to play with me?"
"You're avoiding the question, Naruto," Lee retorted.
"How about this: if someone plays GTA with me and successfully wins, I'll tell you guys whatever the hell you want," Naruto gave in, a mischievous look plastered across his face, and a smirk continually widening.
"…So you do have something to tell!" Chouji caught him, pointing his finger at the blonde who gave no response and got the settings for the video game ready.
Shikamaru volunteered himself, raising his hand and smirking in utter confidence. "You better prepare to tell us everything." He repositioned himself so he was sitting on a bean bag next to Naruto's, and had the Xbox controlled gripped tightly against his hands.
"Don't count on that," Naruto smirked in the same manner, "After I'll, I'm pro at GTA. No one can beat the master!"
Naruto Uzumaki lost against Shikamaru.
Yes, really, he lost, and the title of "master" was renounced as being Shikamaru.
Grumbling miserably, Naruto rolled his eyes as Shikamaru did nothing more than just give him a nod of victory. "Whatever. I'm not even that good at GTA either, I've only played a couple of times."
The controller fell out of his clammy hands, and he pouted. Arms crossed and acting as a barrier from the rest of the boys, Naruto rolled his eyes at the fact that Chouji and Lee were high-fiving Shikamaru as a result of his triumph.
"So," Shikamaru chuckled, "I won. You know what that means, right?"
Naruto snapped (though with a grin across his face), "I don't break my promises, if that's what you're intending, asshole!" The boys cracked up, watching Naruto slowly return back to his previous self.
Shikamaru held his hands against her body in defence, and rejoined, "Woah woah, I never implied that!"
"Whatever, jerk!" Naruto grumbled sourly, crossing his arms and pouting due to his loss.
All of the boys gathered in front of the blond, awaiting a long story. "If you're telling us you don't break promises, then show us. Tell us, are you back with Sakura?" Lee asked.
Naruto leaned back, raising his head upwards and looking directly at the ceiling. "No, quite the contrary," he said, pain still clear in his words. "That night we all went out to the club, and you told me not to call Sakura—"
"You called her," Shikamaru interjected, rolling his eyes. "I knew it. When I realised you'd left, I knew something was up."
Chouji and Lee hanged on their words intently, eyes beading widely.
They all had their gaze fixated on their best friend. No movements, scuttling or shuffling. Nothing. They simply had their ears completely riveted on Naruto, listening as he explained the events that occurred once calling "Sakura" and how she had taken all of her words back, apparently.
A silence ensued. At this stage, everyone had their mouths reaching the floor, eyeballing one another, brains detonating.
"So are you two back together again?"
"No fucking way," Shikamaru denied it, head aching in the news he'd mentally comprehended. "This is actually fucking ridiculous."
"Yeah, exactly Shikamaru, no way," Naruto agreed. "Turns out it was all a fake. I called Sakura the next day, and she denied every part of it. It wasn't her who I was on the phone to."
"Wait, what? Damn, this story is getting wilder and wilder the more I listen to it," Chouji agonised, feeling a headache amongst the bewilderment he was drowning in.
Naruto closed his eyes, the climax of the story awaiting the rest of the boys. "So I figured out who it was, met up with her and… she's not that bad of a person, actually. She was timid, small — harmless, but still, she hurt me. Accidental, or not. She thought she was doing it to do a good deed, to make a stranger happy, but my idea of happiness turned out to be different from hers."
"What was she like?" Shikamaru wondered, taking a heavy sip of his sparkling drink in front of him.
Naruto took a long, deep breath. "She was… very, very kind. Anyone could tell that about her. She had such welcoming eyes and a warm smile. I thought it could have all been a fake, at first, but then I just carried listening to her and I knew she wasn't bullshitting. She seemed like a genuine person."
Perhaps if they'd met in a different situation, a different time, things wouldn't have turned out the way it had. After all, she was a decent girl, Naruto decoded, but what she'd done to him was hardly acceptable.
"I don't think that's about her being a kind person, Naruto," Lee disagreed, "I think that's about her fancying you, possibly."
Naruto scoffed, choking out half of the drink full in his mouth, and ridiculed his statement, "I yelled at her for about ten minutes on the phone and made her cry. I very much doubt it. Still, she's different, and kind of weird really."
Dropping the topic, Shikamaru asked, "So how's progress coming along? Getting over Sakura, that is."
A frown appeared on Naruto's face before buried his head in his knees, a dark aura emitting from his body.
"Oh shit, maybe I shouldn't have asked that."
"Getting over her isn't an option, Shikamaru. I tried it, but it just won't work. I need to get her back, I just… I'm waiting for her to realise that she was wrong," he released a small laugh underneath his breath, "I love her so much, y'know? Getting over her… it's impossible, Shikamaru."
None of the boys really knew what to say — they wanted to give him a third party view, tell him how wrong he was and he'd get over it eventually, but they knew those weren't the words he wanted to hear.
"This is so crazy," Chouji, utterly baffled, stated, "are you still in touch with the girl?"
Naruto shrugged, unsure of how to reply. "Well I haven't really spoken to her since a couple of days ago. I don't know what's really going to happen next. It's kind of awkward between us, honestly, but I have a feeling we'll stop communicating after a while."
Shaking his head in response, Lee clashed in opinions, "I wouldn't be so sure of that, Naruto. After all, life has its way of surprising people."
Scoffing, Naruto ridiculed him, "Thanks, Lee, I didn't know I had a therapist in the room."
Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru added, "What Lee was meant to say, but failed to do so in a less cheesy approach, was that: don't try and predict what's gonna happen to yourself in the next couple of months. It's futile."
Naruto gave it a thought, a moment of silence brewing mentally. If he applied that same theorem to his own life, there was that possibly of Shikamaru being correct. For example, he would have never in a million years predicted that Sakura would've even thought about dumping him — it was just too spontaneous and random, yet it'd happened anyway.
Shrugging his shoulders without a care, Naruto tried to ignore his comment, until Shikamaru continued, "Who knows, Naruto. You and that girl could end up being pretty close, this time next month."
Naruto cocked a smile, eyebrow raising. "Yeah," he agreed, "Who knows."
.
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a/n: I hope you all enjoyed that, please do review as it does mean a great deal. I hope you have a really good day! :)