~*Chapter Two: Her Wound*~
Rape, pregnancy, abortion, childbirth... Hyūga Hinata can no longer trust men.
"...When I was in junior high I was sexually abused by my step father. I-I got pregnant, then had an abortion..." Naruto felt his breath die in his throat, his eyes slowly widening as he ingested her words. I thought a classmate's confession would be... Something trivial. After the unbelievable shock came doubt. That couldn't possibly be true... Could it?
"Despite that, my mother refused to help me and my step father's violence continued... I got pregnant again." Naruto was beginning to feel sick as he listened to her, and he covered his mouth. His eyes were wide and he resisted the urge to cover his ears so that he wouldn't have to listen to the awful things she was saying. She had to be joking.
"At the time, the strain on my body was such that I may never be able to have children again. Since I couldn't raise the children and it seemed nobody would help, it was like a death sentence for a fourteen year old..." He could hear the hitching of her voice, which indicated she was crying if not sobbing out right. She took a moment to collect herself.
"One year ago today, I gave birth to a boy and put him up for adoption." Naruto brought a hand up to his chest subconsciously, his heart beating so loudly and fiercely that it hurt.
"I wasn't happy to have that child growing inside me. I was always afraid, and sad. When it was decided he would be put up for adoption I was incredibly relieved. Furthermore, I have never even seen the child, and yet I... Though I have never seen him, is it okay for me to celebrate his birthday?" She choked miserably, the tears overflowing. Naruto felt like his jaw had been glued shut, for he didn't know what to say, much less anything that'd make her feel better.
"F-father... Please..." The blonde gripped his hair in his hands with desperation. What do I do?! He wracked his mind as her sobs and hiccups filled the room.
"You have the support of God!" A moment of silence ensued, and it took a moment for Naruto to realize he had been the one to say that. He quickly slapped a hand over his mouth from his outburst, yet he was slightly relieved. The sobbing had stopped and he could hear her wiping at her face. It was a few silent minutes before she regained her composure.
"Thank you, Father." Without another word, Hinata stood and proceeded to leave. Naruto carefully stepped out of the confessional when he heard the other door shut and peered out the window to see her running off down the street. Once he made sure she was far enough, he proceeded to walk home. He barely registered anything, a whirlwind of thoughts in his mind.
"Naruto, where have you been?" Tsunade lectured when he walked through the door. "If Sakura hadn't been here to help, I'd have died from overworking! You better thank her!"
"It's okay, Baa-chan," Sakura assured with a modest smile, waving it off.
"Hey, Sakura..." Naruto started as he rounded the corner to stand beside her behind the counter.
"Hm?"
"What kind of girl is Hyūga Hinata?" Sakura blinked in surprise.
"Well, she's normally so quiet... Sorry, I don't really know her very well."
"Oh..." he murmured to himself sullenly. Sakura looked at him with concern, picking up on his low spirits.
"Naruto, did something happen at the church?"
"What church?" Tsunade inquired with a quirked eye brow.
"Yamato's Church; the one where the man was left at the altar and decomposed down into wood, and haunts the place to this day..."
"What?! I've never heard of such a thing!" The women rambled and Naruto took the chance to flee to his bedroom. He laid back on the twin-size futon, his arms beneath his head. It seemed there was no time for training that night; other things had taken precedent, to say the least. Wait... When I think carefully, there's no way such a conversation could have actually happened. He decided then and there that he'd figure out the truth, indirectly or not. Considering they had school the next day, it'd be a great place to start.
Naruto peeked around the corner, making sure no one was in sight. When he found the coast clear, he quickly ducked down the stairwell. When he had gotten to school that morning Hinata had been in class, as expected, but he hadn't been able to get a moment alone with her. That was also to be expected, Naruto reasoned, considering she never seemed to allow herself a moment of being alone. While it was true that she was a quiet, solitary person, she was always around at least one other girl if not more. Analyzing behavior alone, Naruto would conclude that she was a possible rape victim: the fainting, the fear around men, the aloofness, the way she never was alone... It all added up, hypothetically speaking, but he was here for the truth. Why? Even he didn't know the answer to that.
"Where is she?" he muttered to himself in confusion. He had been looking for her every chance he got but could never catch her alone. He quickly but quietly descended the stairs and found a familiar person standing on the landing below. There she is! He looked at her carefully, from her lithe frame to the air of innocence she seemed to emit. There's no way she gave birth. He was about to call out to her when he heard her muttering under her breath. Naruto shut his mouth and strained his ears to listen.
"Thank you, I'm sorry. Thank you, I'm sorry. Thank you, I'm sorry." she repeated over and over to herself. What the... Naruto thought to himself when Hinata was interrupted.
"Hinata-chan, did you like that cake yesterday?" asked another girl walking up the stairs.
"Oh yes, I'm sorry for coming in at closing time..."
"That's okay! Whose birthday was it?" the girl inquired, and Hinata withdrew into herself a bit.
"It's a secret." she eventually said. Naruto frowned in suspicion and turned to walk away since his chance had been ruined again. One this day one year ago... Her voice echoed through his mind. No way, this can't be happening!
"Uzumaki-kun?"
"Eh?!" Naruto jumped at the figure who was standing directly behind him, afraid he'd been caught.
"Thank you for yesterday. I'm sorry," she said confidently. A moment of silence passed as Naruto tried to figure her out, and she started to grow antsy. "T-that's all." she squeaked nervously before turning to run down the hall. The blonde stood there wordlessly trying to decipher the meaning of her words. Thank you... I'm sorry... Was she just practicing what she was going to say to me? But then again, she doesn't have much experience with men. He thought back to his earlier musings that day. The sexual abuse from her stepfather... Is this behavior truly from being raped? His mind unwillingly imagined a scared, crying Hinata screaming for help, and shook himself to rid the notion. Don't imagine it! Naruto chastised himself.
"Hey, Naruto." Kiba greeted in the classroom when the blonde returned, and he waved in response before searching the crowd of students for a certain someone. Though he couldn't hear their conversation, he could see that Hinata was talking happily with another girl. She even laughed, covering her mouth with a hand. When the other girl left though, Hinata's smile slowly sunk down and her eyes drained all previous mirth. Someone like that is definitely a pass. He told himself, but the words didn't stop his overwhelming curiosity.
"Naruto-kun, do you want to see a movie with me? I have a funny DVD..." Ino cooed, but he wasn't paying attention to the other blonde. Hinata waved to one of her friends before heading out the door, and Naruto felt his feet follow her.
"Sorry, I have to help out at the restaurant." he lied halfheartedly over his shoulder. Ino's eyes widened in surprise before she brought a manicured finger up to her polished lips in thought, her feelings slightly hurt... But it was no matter; she would not give up. Her blue eyes hardened in determination.
Naruto quietly followed Hinata from a distance down the street while his mind was far away. I bet yesterday's confession was just her trying to escape the tedium of her everyday life by making herself out to be the tragic heroine. In reality, she has a kind mother and father waiting for her at home. I'll just confirm it.
He nearly ran into Hinata when she suddenly stopped, and Naruto quickly ducked behind a corner to hide. When Hinata made no attempt at moving forward he followed her line of sight, which landed on a woman pushing a stroller with a baby strapped in. There was an odd look on her face, Naruto noted, something akin to regret and repulsion... It was then that he realized she must be reminiscing, wondering if her son was anything like that child. Hinata turned abruptly to walk away.
"Somebody help! My baby!" cried the woman from before, and both Naruto and Hinata turned back to see the stroller rolling into the road. When he froze in shock, his classmate ran forth in an attempt to save the child. You've got to be kidding me! He thought, following her. Running purely on instinct and the sudden adrenaline pumping through his veins, Naruto grabbed a surprised Hinata by the shoulders and held her firmly, one hand reached out to catch the stroller rolling down the hill at full speed.
Naruto took the brunt of the collision and was shoved off balance, falling onto the ground with a startled Hinata still in his arms. The stroller had staid upright with a fussy, but safe, child inside. Naruto groaned from the pain in his head and saw blood dripping on the asphalt from the open wound, and Hinata laid on her back sprawled across his lap. He looked down and saw her skirt had flipped up to reveal her underwear and quickly looked away, like any decent gentleman would, when something caught his attention. He froze, eyes wide, when he saw the mark upon her stomach. A large line with smaller dots alongside it marred the skin of her pale abdomen. I've seen that somewhere before... That mark...
"What's that scar on your stomach, Baa-chan?" asked a four year old Naruto as he splashed in the bath. Tsunade dried herself off with a towel, not minding his curious gaze on her abdomen.
"This is where your daddy was born from."
Naruto continued to stare at Hinata, stunned, though she sat up to collect herself without noticing.
"Uzumaki-kun?!" she said in surprise, and Naruto stared blankly back at her. A scar from... A cesarean section?
"Thank you so much!" cried the relieved mother, running up to collect her child from the stroller. Hinata smiled sheepishly up at the woman before her gaze fell on Naruto.
"You're bleeding!" she gasped, but Naruto was too lost in thought to answer. It was all true...?
"You're hurt..." Naruto's mind reeled as Hinata's hand reached up to his wound. The rape, the pregnancies, the abortion, the birth... It was all true.
A/N: I do not own the characters of "Naruto", nor do I own the plot of "Bitter Virgin" (though I will be making changes later on).
So, it's been decided- I will not be trashing this story! I'm genuinely surprised by the amount of people who are interested. I'm really happy. ;D
A big thanks to Codaram, Midnight-The Angel of Darkness, neoB, Kwaii, Hinata-Hime-Starz, Shoma, and Blue-shine-angel for reviewing! I dedicate this chapter to you guys, who have given me the incentive to continue this story. ;3
Happy Easter to all! Could this early update be an Easter present? But people normally don't give each other presents for Easter. My mom got me and my little brother Easter presents this year, wrapped and everything, so I guess I'll give you guys one too! xD