~*Chapter Seven: That Close Girl*~
So close, yet so far.
"Sorry for the wait-" Both Hinata's and Naruto's eyes widened when she tripped, her feet leaving the ground beneath her. Naruto reached out instinctively to stabilize her, but he was only able to ensure her safety. In the midst of the commotion, he only barely registered the fact that their collision had resulted in...
Hinata stood shakily on her own two feet once more as her fingers traced her mouth; Naruto merely gaped. Just now... Did our lips touch?
"Did our lips-" Hinata started with uncertainty, only to be interrupted by the blonde.
"It was your imagination!" He insisted, when, as if on cue, blood trickled down his lip.
"Oh no, my tooth cut you..." Hinata said with genuine concern, but he was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice. She took a step toward him but stopped in her tracks when she noticed his face was bright red, so much so that you almost couldn't distinguish the blood down his chin from the rest of him. Before she could say another word he turned on his heel and ran away, leaving her behind.
"Uzumaki-kun!" she called, but he was gone.
Meanwhile, in the boy's bathroom, Naruto was having a silent panic attack in front of the mirror. He wet a paper towel and cleaned his face off and held it over the wound to stop the bleeding, however diminutive the amount, while his mind was in overdrive. I can't believe this... It wasn't a delusion, there's no doubt about that. He thought while pulling the paper towel away to inspect the small cut. Hyūga Hinata's lips touched mine...! He blinked thoughtfully before slowly tracing his lip with his tongue, as if he could still feel her there, then slapped his hands over his face in horror. I'm such a weirdo!
He wondered what Hinata was doing, belatedly realizing that he had left her in the dust. What was she thinking right now? Was she angry? Did she... Hate him? His chest hurt at the thought and he rubbed the spot absently. For her lips to touch mine, when she's afraid of men... He remembered her cheerful expression when she told him that he was her one and only, best male friend, and flinched. There's no way I could look her in the eye again...
When he left the boy's room he was relieved to find that Hinata had already left without him. He sighed quietly, both appeased yet distraught as he made his way home in a daze. When he got home he only spent an hour or two working at the restaurant since it wasn't busy before finishing his homework. Tsunade called him down shortly after for dinner, and though he appeared to be normal he was really a potent mix of distress, worry, and anxiety.
"What an awful child. Look how much you didn't eat," Tsunade chastised, and Naruto blinked down at his plate.
"Sorry Baa-chan, I'm just not that hungry." He mumbled, pushing his plate away. Her eyes narrowed as she inspected him.
"Your lip is cut. Did somebody hit you?" She inquired, pointing to the wound.
"N-no! That's not it!" He insisted as his hand covered the spot.
"A fight, eh? Did you lose?" She teased when he stood abruptly to flee to his room.
"Hey! It takes two to tango, so you better apologize too!" Tsunade called, and her words stuck in his mind. That's right, he thought as he wrapped his hands and fingers up with white gauze. After doing some preliminary stretches as a warm up he began ruthlessly pounding on the punching bag, taking out his frustrations on it.
"I have to apologize. She may not listen... She may cry and hit me..." He dealt a swift uppercut at that thought to somehow cancel out the pain he felt- it didn't work, though it was a good distraction.
"No, she wouldn't do that because it'd involve actually touching me." He laughed humorlessly at the bitterness, though the agony seemed to take his breath away.
"I bet when our eyes meet at school tomorrow the hatred she has for me will be obvious." Naruto sent a particularly hard jab at the punching bag with this in mind and lost his balance, barely catching himself in time as he sprawled out on the floor. His breath came out in quick pants as he lied on his back, sweat sticking to his frame.
"To make matters worse, I really do have to apologize properly." He murmured to himself. After a few quiet moments of consideration to catch his breath, he picked himself off the floor and made his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower before bed. After the rinse he dressed in a tee shirt and athletic shorts only to collapse onto his futon with his arms behind his head. His eyes landed on the CD on his end table and he swallowed tightly. What should I do... What would you do, teme?
It was becoming a regular thing, Naruto realized. Whenever he needed to seek out Hinata, he just couldn't approach her. Once he found her, he just couldn't open his mouth to speak to her. All in all, it was an infuriating process. He found himself standing a short distance away from the girl while she was at her locker. When she turned around she blinked at the sight of him.
"Uzu-" Her words were cut off when he pivoted on his heel abruptly and marched away, leaving her behind in confusion. Next time, Naruto swore to himself. Next time I see her, I'll apologize.
Next time came around all too soon for Naruto as he stood in the classroom, Hinata watching him expectantly. He swallowed tightly as a flush spread across his features.
"Uzumaki-kun?" At the sound of his name, he fled involuntarily. He briefly wondered if this was what Hinata felt like, constantly fleeing. What he did not notice, however, was the determined look in her eyes as she took after him down the hall. Chasing him around a corner, she cornered him.
"There you are, Uzumaki-kun! I- oh..." her words failed her when she realized she had mistaken another boy for Naruto. Stammering an apology, she wandered the hallways in search of the blonde.
"Hey, Naruto!" she heard Kiba calling, followed by an insistent "Shhh!". She peeked around the corner to see Kiba looking down at the window, and a familiar blonde head underneath the sill on the other side. She quietly sneaked up and poked him on the shoulder, and when he turned a lazy gaze to her he froze when recognition set in. He hurriedly got to his feet but right when he was about to flee he felt a tug on his sleeve. Naruto looked back to see Hinata clinging to his jacket.
"Got you- eh? Uzumaki-kun!" she stared at him in disbelief as he shrugged the coat off before making his escape.
"Shoot..." Hinata murmured to herself, folding the jacket carefully over her arm with a sigh. Why was Uzumaki-kun acting so strangely? She hadn't the faintest idea.
"Hey," snapped an irritated voice from behind, and Hinata blinked in surprise at the animosity sent her way. She turned to see Ino with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes narrowed in a glare.
"Ino-chan?"
"We need to talk. Now." The blonde didn't wait for her to reply and instead grabbed the other girl by the arm before dragging her to the girl's bathroom. Once inside, she pushed Hinata away.
"What do you think you're doing, chasing around another girl's boyfriend?" She demanded angrily.
"I only wanted to apologize for something." Hinata explained civilly, but Ino was having none of it.
"Fine! I'll tell him for you, so just stay away!" The blonde demanded, her acrylic nails biting into the flesh of her palms as she made a fist.
"I'm sorry, but I think something like this should be done by the person who is involved. Otherwise, there is no point..." Hinata let out. Her words only enraged the blonde further. In a wave of overwhelming jealousy, Ino raised her fist up and Hinata flinched as it came nearer-
"She's absolutely right." Came a familiar voice, and Ino stopped dead in her tracks. She whipped her head around to see Sakura standing in the doorway. The pinkette walked up to them, purposely standing where Ino's hit would have landed on Hinata.
"Sakura..." Ino murmured in disbelief.
"You can't properly convey things like 'I'm sorry' or 'thank you' through a third party. Let's go, Hinata-chan." Sakura said, steering the other girl out the door with a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head and gave Ino a warning glance, and the blonde looked away quickly to avoid the piercing green gaze.
At the end of the day, Naruto was off sulking under the staircase outside. He ran his hands through his hair, his elbows placed on his bent knees as he leaned his back against the wall. What the hell am I doing? Naruto jumped when he heard the scraping of feet on the pavement but didn't have time to run. He braced himself, then relaxed when he saw a familiar pink haired girl come around the corner.
"Oi, Naruto," she acknowledged, and Naruto sighed in relief.
"Oh, it's just Sakura. Do you need something?"
"I'm not the one who needs something from you," she said as she looked back around the corner. When Hinata stepped forward Naruto just about had a heart attack. "Hinata-chan does." Sakura finished proudly with her hands on her hips.
"Your jacket..."
"I'M SORRY!" Naruto nearly shouted, going from a sitting position into a low bow on the ground. Sakura and Hinata gaped at the gesture. "I'M REALLY SORRY!"
"Why are you apologizing? I was the one who hurt you..." Hinata claimed, and Sakura blinked in confusion.
"What's going on here?" The pink haired girl inquired.
"I bumped into Uzumaki-kun when I lost my footing on the stairs." Hinata explained, and Naruto froze upon hearing her words. That's... That's all? That's what she thought it was? But... Our lips... When we collided, it was mouth to mouth.
"My tooth hurts a bit..." Hinata added, her finger on her lip.
"Well, good thing it wasn't chipped." Sakura nodded.
"Yup!" Hinata smiled, while Naruto remained speechless on the ground still. Hinata knelt in front of him, their knees barely brushing against each others'.
"I really am sorry." She said solemnly, and Naruto looked away.
"It's fine. I'm okay." He insisted, still not meeting her gaze.
"Uzumaki-kun?"
"Yes?"
"Why won't you look at me? Are you angry?" Hinata asked with concern, and Naruto nearly flinched at her hurt tone... But he still couldn't look her in the eye.
"No, I'm not angry," he insisted, though he still wouldn't look her way. Naruto's eyes widened as he felt warm hands on either side of his face, pulling him forward. When he came face to face with Hinata, who was only a few mere inches away, his face turned beet red. As she leaned in closely he thought for sure that he would hyperventilate, their noses almost touching.
"It really is cut..." she murmured, inspecting the wound up close. As Naruto felt her warm breath on his face, he wondered what she would do if he leaned forward just a little bit more. What would she do if he closed the distance between them to kiss her? He bit his lip and resisted the temptation.
"I-I'm not mad, so you can let me go now..." He laughed awkwardly, pulling himself out of her grasp before he did something he'd regret later. "Er, thanks for the jacket! Bye!" And with that, he was gone once again.
"Were you talking about the cut by his lip?" Sakura asked, and Hinata nodded. The pinkette pursed her lips thoughtfully. They collided, her upper tooth hurts, and his bottom lip is cut. This means that she must have been on the top stair and he on the bottom when she lost her footing, so she had the leverage to come in contact with his lower lip even though he's taller than her. Sakura blinked in realization. This means...
Hinata stared at the spot Naruto had previously occupied, wrapped up in her own thoughts. Oppressive, controlling, selfish, cunning; I've known nothing but these kinds of men. But Uzumaki-kun... I've never met a boy like him. She swore she could still feel his warm, flushed face in her hands, slightly quivering. The thought brought a smile to her face and a pleasant feeling spread through her chest.
"Hinata-chan, do you want to go home together?" Sakura asked amiably, and Hinata blinked in surprise before nodding. She turned back to her locker.
"Yes! I just need to get my-" Hinata covered her mouth with a hand at the sight that awaited her, and Sakura peeked inside before gasping. Within the locker was a pair of shoes, torn up with a razor blade and covered with filth.
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).
Sorry for the long wait! I've been busy with school lately, but I only have three weeks left! Then I'm a senior! To be honest, I'm more scared than excited about moving out. I expect the experience to be quite terrifying, but at least I'll be in a dorm instead of completely on my own. Regardless, I'm probably going to have a panic attack next year, haha... No, really. xI
Shout outs to my lovelies! DerelictV, jojo07, thestorymaker2, Gamakage, ZodiacBirdy, anzuka16, TucyaGirl, LilacWhite, Asuka Kawashima, InuKag4everbabe, dantheman23, Neob, Beast1998, paige'szinger97, and Chewie Cookies! Your encouragement is what keeps me writing! ;)
Obviously we are all NaruHina fans here (though I think other Hina pairings are tolerable, like KibaHina). Is it true that most NaruHina fans bash Sakura? Because I really like Sakura. I usually write about her, actually. This is my first NaruHina. If you don't hate Sakura, then do you like SasuSaku as a pairing? Personally, I like all kinds of Sakura pairings. For me it's a tie between GaaSaku and SasuSaku, then KakaSaku, ItaSaku, DeiSaku, etc... I guess what I'm really asking is, do you, as a NaruHina fan, like SasuSaku? Forgive my prying, I'm just curious since I have a new SasuSaku up my sleeve for the future.
See ya next update! ;3