Future Fixtures

Chapter Two

Hinata awoke the moment she felt smooth and gentle lips press a kiss to the top of her head. A soft smile curved her lips. She opened her eyes when the door shut. They quickly widened at her surroundings. Instead of the white walls she had fallen asleep surrounding by, brown now filled the room. The blanket that covered her wasn't the cotton, lavender comforter she remembered it being; instead the comforter was red and silk. It felt amazing against her skin. The panic that had begun to invade her senses slowly faded as she assessed her surroundings. Her training had finally kicked in. She slid from the comfortable silk sheets and turned beat red at her state of undress. How had she not noticed that?! She decided that her first course of action would be to find some clothing. She raced toward the door closest to the one he had exited out of and pulled it open. Men's clothing greeted her. Alright, not hers, but it was good information. She shared a room with someone. Her cheeks flushed. Suddenly, the reason she was naked hit her.

'Don't pass out. Don't pass out. Don't pass out.' She repeated to herself as she took deep calming breathes. She opened the next door and gasped out loud. The body and face that she saw was hers, but she had aged. Her face had lost most of its roundness. Her blush became worse as she noticed the small purple marks that covered her collarbones and shoulders. Hinata looked away from the mirror quickly. She filed away the idea to search for a calendar until after she was dressed. She easily found underwear in the small chest that sat on the floor of her closet. She then pulled a simple grey long sleeved T-shirt and a pair of black pants from the closet. She would have preferred a short sleeve, but all of her searching had been in vain. It seemed that her entire wardrobe had been revamped with long sleeves and long pants. The only thing that stayed the same was the sandals that she slipped on her feet. Again, even her wardrobe was a piece of information. She doubted that she was in a cold climate because the air conditioner was on and the long sleeves and jeans were light. She did not dwell on it for long; she would certainly see her surroundings later. Instead, she busied herself in finding a calendar. Easily, she located one on the desk sitting in the far corner. Her eyes widened at the year. She was thirty-one years of age. She closed her eyes. What on earth was going on?! Her eyes landed on a lavender photo album that sat on the edge of the desk. She furrowed her eyebrows and opened it. The pictures inside stole her breathe away. She quickly flipped the picture over looking for a date. When she found it, her entire body went cold. She married near the end of her eighteenth birthday; and the man that she married: Gaara Sabaku. She was married to Naruto's best friend. She sank down into the chair. Why had she given up on Naruto? Her eyes wandered to the next page almost mechanically. A smiling Naruto stood next to Sakura Haruno. His arm was over her shoulder and his eyes were filled with love. Her eyes mirrored the love in his. Hinata's eyes suddenly fixed on the small bump that could be seen where Sakura's flat stomach used to be. It hurt, but she knew that she held no chance at winning his affections away from Sakura. His happiness is what mattered. Still, she couldn't sit and stare at the man she loved with his arm around another. She turned the page and gasped. It was Gaara and herself. They were staring at one another. The camera had apparently caught them unaware. His hands were caressing the sides of her cheeks. Her hands were curled around his biceps. If their embrace told her nothing, their eyes would have spoken volumes. Love shone brightly in her gaze and it was mirrored in his. It truly was a magnificent picture. Unable to stomach more, she closed the album gently and set it back in its place. The album had answered questions, but it had created them as well; and all of those questions began with why.

Hinata shook her head. In an effort to distract herself, she grabbed the brush off of the side of the desk and began to run it through her long locks. She pulled it up with a simple grey clippie. While she did her eyes roamed the desk. They landed on a report she seemed to have finished just last night. It listed things that she felt the hospital needed. She furrowed her eyebrows and read the report further. What was it she did for Suna? The further she read, the more she figured out. Hinata had become a medic when she moved to Suna. She stood from the chair with purpose. It was time for her to face her day, no matter what awaited her.

"Mom!" She heard a young, cheerful, distinctively female voice yell. Her lavender eyes widened. She had, however, not been ready for that. "The Chunin exams are being hosted in Konoha in a few weeks! Father just told me! Well, he didn't really tell me, but I overheard…" Hinata blinked at her small auburn haired daughter. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she spoke. The Suna headband bounced energetically with the small preteen. Hinata overcame her shock quickly and smiled warmly at her daughter. Still such an odd concept.

"I'm sure you'll do amazingly," Hinata assured. Her daughter's green eyes were speckled with lavender hues. Vaguely she wondered where her daughter got her personality from. From what she knew of Gaara and herself, her daughter's bubbly, energetic personality was out of place; but Hinata couldn't help but treasure it.

Meanwhile, in Konoha, Sakura had finally found a calendar. Her math had been off by a long shot. In order for Naruto and her to have a teenage son, they would have had to of had sex at twelve. A small shudder ran through her, just no. Instead of twenty-six, the couple was thirty-one. Vaguely, she wondered if Minato's birth certificate was around anywhere. She wanted to see just when she had caved to Naruto's advances. It was something she had never thought possible until now. What had happened that had changed her so drastically? She glanced out the window and stared at the man as he taught his daughter stances. More importantly, why wasn't he as freaked out by this as she was? A small voice that sounded suspiciously like Hinata whispered that he had loved her since they were twelve and reminded her of his statement earlier that morning. He had never had a family before. Sakura's eyes softened as she stared at the happy yet disbelieving smile on his face. Sakura stood up from the kitchen table and went in search of birth certificates. It would bug her until she knew.

The moment she walked by their front door, she froze. Hokage robes and the hat were hung neatly on the hook in front of their door. A wide smile spread across her face in the next moment. Naruto's dreams of becoming Hokage had been realized. Happiness for him swelled within her. Pride quickly followed. With power came an immense number of women, Sakura had noticed. Even with those women wanting his attentions, Naruto had chosen her. Even with Hinata, who had loved him since they were children, wanting his attentions, he had chosen Sakura. Guilt pooled into her stomach again. 'Hinata. Oh, God! She must hate me! I married the man she loved!' She couldn't help the sweat that built up on her again. Hinata had become her confidant and a close friend to her. 'How could I have done that?!' She asked herself again as she walked back toward the bedroom she shared with Naruto. Her eyes widened as she easily found the birth certificates. She furrowed her eyebrows. 'Is it possible that we've retained some of our future self's memories?' She asked herself. It would certainly explain how she knew where everything was in the house. As she lifted Minato's birth certificate, a small note fluttered to the floor. She pushed it out of her mind for the moment and focused on the task at hand. Her eyes widened at the realization that came to her. Minato was thirteen. That meant that…Sakura swallowed the dryness that had fallen upon her throat. That meant that Sakura would cave to his advances at eighteen and judging from the date on this slip of paper, she fell to those advances near the end of her eighteenth year. Minato was born just two weeks after her nineteenth birthday. Sakura set the birth certificate back in the box slowly. Her green eyes slid to the note on the floor. She picked it up slowly. Her eyes widened as she noticed the handwriting: it was Hinata's elegant script. She swallowed and unfolded it gently.

Dear Naruto-kun,

Please don't be guilty or sad because of me. I knew from the beginning that you returning my affections were slim to none. When I confessed to you, it was simply a way of moving forward. I knew at the time that whatever direction it took me was fine. Your happiness had always been first and foremost my greatest concern. Your friendship will and has always been enough for me. Just to have you in my life is a blessing and I thank God every day that He allowed me to stand beside you for as long as He did. You are my best friend and that will never change. No matter what you do, you will always have my unwavering support.

Hinata

Sakura couldn't hold back the tears that gathered in her eyes. She let the note fall from her numb hands. She buried her head into her hands.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto called softly as he stepped gingerly into the room. "What's wrong?" Sakura pointed a shaking hand toward the box, toward the letter. Naruto bent and picked it up. His eyes widened as he read the words there. Unwillingly, his mind flashed back to Pain's invasion.

"I used to always cry and give up… I made many wrong turns… But you… You helped me find the right path… I always chased after you… I wanted to catch up to you… I wanted to walk beside you all the time… I just wanted to be with you… You changed me! Your smile is what saved me! That is why I'm not afraid to die protecting you! Because… I love you…"

"How could you just forget?" Sakura cried. "That she…"

"Nearly died to protect me?" Naruto finished. "Confessed her love to me?" Sakura's head snapped up to her. "I didn't." He whispered. The memory of pain stabbing into Hinata was still raw within him. Hinata had been willing to sacrifice her life for him and nearly had if it hadn't been for Sakura's efforts. She loved him enough to die for him and she loved him enough to walk away. "With all that had been happening, there was never a right time to sit down and talk to her." Sakura shook her head.

"That's no excuse!" Sakura argued.

"Did I say it was?" Naruto returned. Sakura felt a small stutter in her anger. Her eyes connected with Naruto's pained blues. He truly hadn't forgotten. "I just…" He took a deep breath and blew it out. "I just can't stand the thought of hurting her anymore. I don't love her, not like that." Naruto stepped forward. His blue eyes held a determination she was used to seeing. He grabbed her shoulders gently in his hands. "It's always been you," he declared. Sakura's breath stilled. "Even when all you saw was the teme, it's always been you." Naruto let go of her shoulders and slid away from her. He touched the floor with his knees. The weight of his confession seemed to bring him down. Sakura surprised him by falling into his arms, crying. Naruto wrapped his arms around her regardless.

"Why's mommy crying?" A soft, small voice asked. Naruto looked over at his daughter. Her bottom lip was trembling slightly and her eyes were brimming with her own tears. Minato was standing next to her. His blue eyes were on the couple as he leaned down and "whispered."

"I think she's pregnant again." Sakura froze; Naruto's mouth fell open; and Hina giggled at their expressions. Minato just smiled. For a moment, the tears Sakura had been shedding dried. She let out a small laugh at the expression on Naruto's face.

"Dad, close your mouth unless you want to become the amphibian you summon," Minato told him in amusement. Sakura shook her head in amusement. Minato's humor was slightly dry and seemed to fall flat with everyone but his younger sister.

"Ribit!" Naruto gurgled in an attempt to pick fun at his oldest child. Hina gasped and looked wide eyed toward her older brother.

"It happened!" Hina exclaimed. Minato chuckled and ruffled his little sister's hair. She scowled and stomped his foot in retaliation. Minato's answering curse would have been silent if Naruto's hearing hadn't been so well. Despite the strangeness of the situation, Sakura and Naruto laughed.