~*Chapter Three: When She Smiles*~
Wanting to get closer to a girl who bears the weight of reality...
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.
"We have to wipe off the blood," Hinata murmured to herself, pulling a handkerchief from her bag. Naruto watched her, still slightly in shock, as she brought her hand up to his forehead. Her fingers trembled and she bit at her lower lip, nervousness rolling off her in tangible waves. Anxiety flickered in her eyes though she continued to push herself closer to him despite her discomfort. Her obvious fear of him brought Naruto back to the current situation, and he leaned away from her to bring a hand up to his head. Hinata blinked in surprise before a flash of shame flickered in her pearl-colored eyes.
"You're hurt! I'll take you to the clinic," the mother from before broke the moment, much to both Naruto and Hinata's secret relief. The dazed teens got to their feet to follow the woman down the street, the previous event playing through their minds repeatedly.
"Naruto!" a frantic voice called out from the clinic lobby.
"Baa-chan-" Naruto was cut off by a bear hug from the blonde woman, who squeezed him so tightly he lost his breath.
"What the hell happened? Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" she demanded heatedly as his face turned purple from lack of oxygen.
"Baa-chan... Get off... Can't breathe..." Tsunade blinked in realization before releasing him, and he took a large breath to regain his senses. Her gaze landed on the quiet girl behind him, who had a hand up to her chest in uncertainty.
"Was it you? Are you the one who got him into trouble? Where are your parents, girl?" the older woman snapped.
"Baa-chan!" Naruto intervened, stepping in between the two woman defensively. He threw Tsunade a disapproving look.
"I-I'm sorry... I don't have any parents; I live alone." Hinata nodded apologetically. Naruto frowned in thought, for this was the first time he had heard of it. She's living alone? There must be a reason for that...
"Living alone at your age?" Tsunade questioned with a cocked eye brow.
"I have a relative nearby, so..." Hinata struggled to explain.
"Excuse me," came a meek voice from behind, and the three turned to see the woman with a child. "Your son's injury was all my fault! He was saving my baby..."
"...Really? Oh." Tsunade smiled, pleasantly surprised. When she had gotten the call from the clinic that Naruto had been hurt she had assumed he had gotten in a fight again, or that something serious had happened... But he had saved a baby. How heroic, she mused with pride.
"I'm very sorry," the woman apologized profusely while bowing low, the child sucking on his fist obliviously.
"Oh no, it's quite alright! That's my Naruto, for you. How old is your son?" Tsunade cooed at the baby, who stared back curiously. Naruto watched the scene in amusement and stole a sidelong glance at the girl beside him, who was staring impassively at the child. The boy's dark eyes focused on her and her lips turned up in a waning smile.
"It's getting late, so I'll be going now... I apologize for any inconveniences, and I'm glad your baby is okay. See you tomorrow, Uzumaki-kun." Hinata bowed before turning on her heel to leave.
"Wait, Hinata! You hurt your leg in the accident, so I'll walk you home." Naruto heard the words leave his mouth as if he had no control. At the puzzled, uncertain look on her face, he elaborated. "Ah, I mean, it's getting dark already so... It's not safe." She observed him wearily. With any other girl he would have grown annoyed, yet he seemed to have a lot more patience with Hinata. Ever since he had learned her secret he had become more mature, not as clueless about the world and people around him. Though he didn't know it yet, he had gained great perspective. His eyes softened a bit in sympathy. "You don't have to be afraid..."
"Huh? I'm not afraid, not really... Is that how it seems?" she asked innocently, a finger up to her chin in contemplation. Naruto stared at her blankly. As if you're not.
"I'll be at your side in case another stroller decides to run you down." He laughed to lighten the mood. Hinata looked as if she were about to decline, albeit politely, when Tsunade stepped in.
"It's not safe for young girls to go home alone at this time of evening, you know. My grandson is a gentleman, so let him walk you home." the older woman said kindly, giving Naruto a slap on the back that warned him to be perfectly polite (as if I wouldn't be, he thought to himself). Naruto inwardly cheered that she was on his side, even without knowing the circumstances, and a resigned yet cautious look came across Hinata's face.
"If you insist..."
And so Naruto found himself walking alongside the girl who had plagued his thoughts for the last week, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he wondered how to strike up conversation to end the awkward silence. He sneakily looked at her from the corner of his eye to see her nervous form. Her pallor was pale, more so than usual, almost pasty. Naruto could see a sheen of perspiration glint off the skin of her face, and the look in her eyes betrayed her unbridled fear. He couldn't exactly describe why this bothered him, but he wished to soothe her if only a little.
"I'll just walk behind a bit," Naruto offered, and Hinata looked at him curiously though she did not protest. She peeked back at him occasionally, worry creasing her brow.
"I'll go a little further back." He allowed her to go on ahead until they were about ten feet away from each other. She appeared satisfied with the distance, but Naruto still felt awkward with the complete lack of conversation.
"You know-" he started to break the silence but she jumped from the sound of his voice, startled. "Uh, I won't talk anymore!" She seemed to be at peace with the current arrangement, yet Naruto wasn't much one for the quiet. How will she warm up to me if we don't even talk? He wracked his brain for answers when an idea popped into his head... And so he started to hum a tune from one of his favorite songs.
Hinata blinked in surprise and slowly looked back at him, but his eyes were closed as he walked down the road behind her. The feelings of unease began to fade away with each note he sang, and she gave a small smile... Not that he could see it. Naruto was on autopilot as he hummed, his mind far away and focused on the girl up ahead of him. She lives like this, but will she be able to change if she finds a guy she likes? Will she always fear men? What kind of guy would she like, anyway? He cracked a blue eye open and watched her back as she walked, her long hair swishing with each step. Naruto continued to hum as she peeked back at him through her bangs.
"I know that song." Hinata smiled genuinely, and the blonde felt his jaw slacken in surprise at her statement. Well, not much the content of the sentence, but rather that she actually spoke. "I like it..." she admitted, her smile growing. Needless to say, he was shocked beyond belief.
"Is that so?" he asked back cheerfully, delightfully surprised, and she nodded back. At this point she had turned around so that they now faced one another fully.
"It's not much further to my place... Thank you for walking me home." Hinata said, bidding him goodnight.
"No problem," he shrugged it off with a grin.
"...Thank you for saving the baby." she murmured so quietly, Naruto wasn't certain he had heard her correctly.
"Huh?" It seemed to be the most intelligent thing his mind could form at the moment. Hinata merely smiled before bounding away out of his sight. "It wasn't really the baby I was trying to help..." he muttered to himself once his brain caught up with the situation.
"You've been singing the same song all night." Tsunade noted with a knowing smirk. Naruto stopped mid-hum as he walked into the kitchen to grab a water bottle from the refrigerator. By the time he got home he only had time to finish his homework, eat dinner, and shower, skipping training yet again. He'd get up early the next morning to make up for it, Naruto decided, and that was when his thoughts had been interrupted by his grandmother.
"Have I?"
"Yeah, ever since you got home." she confirmed.
"I didn't even realize it..." he grumbled, puzzled at his own actions.
"Listen, Naruto. Stay away from that girl."
"What?" Naruto asked in disbelief, followed by, "Why?!"
"No reason in particular. I just feel that something's off about her." Tsunade replied vaguely, and Naruto glowered in response. Maybe she's sensing something as a fellow mother? How odd.
"Her parents live far away, right? She wouldn't make a good hostess at the restaurant."
"Go to bed, Baa-chan!" Naruto snapped with a scowl, his grandmother's real intentions revealed. Tsunade only chuckled as Naruto made his way to his room in the attic. Inside was a small, twin-size futon, a dresser, a stereo, a desk with a chair, a bookshelf, and his training equipment in the corner, which consisted of a single punching bag, gloves, and several dumbbells of various weights.
"Damn that Baa-chan. Who would want to take over the shop, anyway?" he grumbled to no one in particular, rubbing a towel through his damp hair as his eyes landed on his stereo system. I know that song. I like it... Hinata's voice echoed in his mind. If she was able to smile like that, does it mean she has recovered a little? Naruto found himself digging through his dresser drawers, fumbling through his many CD's.
"Here it is. It's track number five on this album." Naruto grinned. He opened the case to make sure the CD was inside and his smile froze when he read the writing inside. Happy birthday, Dobe. Naruto closed his eyes and repressed the sudden wave of painful nostalgia, closing the case snugly with a snap. He was quite adept at holding back his feelings; he had years of practice whether it was regarding his parents or him. With a strained smile, he forced back the memories...
...And just like that, they were gone, shoved away in the furthest back corners of his mind. What was wrong with me? He thought, throwing himself back on his futon with his hands propped underneath his head. Before I mistakenly overheard her confession, I didn't care whether or not Hyūga Hinata was raped, got pregnant, had an abortion, or gave birth... Naruto had to admit that he felt damned ashamed of himself. He had been so immature and insensitive, so incredibly naïve that it made himself physically sick. If she can, she should move on and find herself a boyfriend... But what kind of guy would a girl like her have interest in? What kind of guy would she come to like? He fell asleep with these thoughts on his mind.
Naruto walked into school with his bag slung over his shoulder, his other hand in his pocket gripping the CD inside. He looked left and right, then left again; looking for a certain someone.
"Good morning, Naruto-kun!" Ino chimed, but he was oblivious to her presence while he searched the crowd of students for a familiar girl. "What's that face for?" the blonde girl asked, looking at his expression.
"Hm? Oh, nothing." Naruto mumbled, attention still elsewhere.
"Are you looking for someone?" Ino wasn't as stupid as people thought her to be, despite her popularity status. No, she just had the tendency to be quite psychotic at times, though she preferred the term 'headstrong'.
"No, I'm not!" Naruto insisted with a shake of his head.
"Good morning, Uzumaki-kun," came a meek voice from behind. "How's your injury?" Hinata inquired with concern. Naruto's hand reached up and touched the gauze wrapped around his head gingerly. The gentle look on her face made him squirm, and he felt a flush creep up his neck.
"I-it's okay," he stammered, his tongue strangely numb.
"That's good." Hinata nodded with a smile, and she stepped towards him. She continued to walk forward and Naruto almost thought that she was going to approach him directly, but then she walked right passed him without any hesitation. At this he felt... Disappointed.
Naruto frowned a little. Hinata greeted her other female friends. Ino watched it all with narrowed eyes.
A/N: I do not own the characters of "Naruto", nor do I own the plot of "Bitter Virgin" (though I have made changes and will be making more later on).
Shout outs to MariTheNnasty, Sunny, Midnight-The Angel of Darkness, TooLazyToSignIn, dantheman23, littlemissnovelist, llazo4108822, and Uchiha MeNikki! It never ceases to amaze me how many people like this story. You guys are awesome and made my day, hehe. And I thank all the others who favorite-d and are following this story. The encouragement, direct and indirect, is much appreciated. ;3
Also, please let me know if you see any grammar mistakes, spelling mistakes, etc. I'm usually quite the stickler for these kind of things, yet I get confused sometimes. The constructive criticism is also welcome. ;)