Cold eyes pierced her like daggers as he stepped towards her, his body gently descending from above. It was simply graceful to watch him fall. It was amazing how he carefully took each step towards her, almost dance-like, as if every step had been practiced and honed to perfection. Then again, in the state she was in, everything seemed to be in perfect synchronicity.

The closer he came to her, the more she felt like she would suffocate. Every step towards her seemed to be another brick on her chest, making it harder to breathe.

She could accept everything in the dream except for one thing. The emotionless eyes were acceptable. The blade that was slowly making its way through her fifth and sixth ribs was acceptable. What made the dream extremely strange, aside from the fact that she couldn't wake up, was the sadness and grief she felt in her heart.

Present day

"While your newfound cousin recovers, why don't you tell me precisely what you have in mind. You're not the type to ask for favors and you don't like to put me in an uncomfortable position…do you?" he asked as he narrowed his single open eye.

"Of course not sir. I want her to be my partner." He asked with his head tilted down, his fallen bangs covering parts of his face.

"Hah. Hahaha. Twice in a single day, Naruto-kun. You've taken me by surprise twice in one day." He muttered to himself as he tapped the tabletop with his index finger.

"Hey! What the hell?! I'm not going to be your teammate!" she stated bitterly.

"Oh? Okay. I guess we'll just have to execute you then." The war hawk stated with a careless wave of his hand as he returned to his paperwork.

An ANBU entered the room and he did not look friendly in the least. To her surprise, Naruto was already between her and the possible executioner. For a slight moment, she felt warm inside. It was a familiar feeling. Almost nostalgic.

"Hurry up. You're taking your mother's place. Let's hope you do better…otherwise, you're sharing her fate."

Deeply deposited rage began to stir within her. She couldn't be blamed either. Humans are generally forgetful creatures so as compensation, they connect things together in order to remember them better. Unfortunately for her, the idea of safety and protection was connected with desertion and loneliness. The idea of being helped by someone she hated was like a spark to the fuel tank that was sadness.

"I don't need your help." She growled as she grabbed Naruto's knife before she kicked him towards the ANBU.

Unfortunately, the man he crashed into turned out to be a clone. Her anger had distracted her from sensing the Chakra behind her.

Fortunately for her, the kicked Naruto also turned out to be a clone.

"Do you really want to do this, Naruto-kun?" the strongest ninja in the village whispered coldly, promise of imminent death evident in his voice.

To her surprise, she turned to see Naruto behind the ANBU. He had a knife around the man's throat and to show how serious he was, he had already pushed the knife deep enough to make a cut.

"I've already made my decision. I want her as my-"

"Why?! Argh! This Is So Stupid!" she screamed as she stormed out.

The long silence afterwards was broken by the creaking of the chair as the hokage laid back and rubbed his eye.

"What do you have in mind this time, Naruto-kun?" he asked tiredly, too familiar with how insane some of the boy's ideas were.

"Redemption" was all the blonde uttered before vanishing.

"Well…that was self-explanatory."

"ugh. I need sake." The kage grumbled as he began to make a few conjectures about what was about to happen.

Ichiraku Ramen

'huh…birds of a feather I guess' he thought as he took a seat next to the redhead.

"Oh! Welcome back Uzumaki-san!" the old chef greeted with gusto "the usual?"

"Of course." He replied with a smile and a nod.

Awkward silence reigned among the two until he decided it was enough and broke it.

"The smell?" he asked with a knowing smirk.

All she could do was nod in order to hide her embarrassment.

"And you knew I'd find you how?"

"Call it a hunch." She shrugged.

The silence made her look at him. He was looking at her face again and this time, he was smiling.

"You're a terrible liar." He said as he shook his head. He lifted his brows and sighed in defeat.

"Eat as much as you like. If you're already on the second bowl, you must really like it here."

Ten Bowls Later.

He sighed for the seventh time as she burped. She was a complete monster when it came to eating. Such fervor…

"I'm stuffed!" she exclaimed with a happy smile.

"and almost pregnant." He continued as he gestured to her swollen belly.

"I'll be fine. Uzumaki Metabolism!" she stated proudly.

"Wow…I can't. I just can't put myself in your shoes right now." He chuckled. "how can you be happy like this? You were angry enough to kill ten minutes ago."

"yeah I was. I was sad and angry and hateful but now, I'm satisfied so I feel a bit better."

He closed his eyes for a few seconds, contemplating the idea of satisfaction. Could it really be that simple? Why was it so hard for him to feel satisfied? He only felt satisfaction in success after hard work so he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.

"I envy you." He whispered.

"What? It's fine. If you're an Uzumaki, you should have the metabolism and healing too. Though you lack the red hair…hmmm…"

She inspected him closely.

He had three whisker marks on each cheek. They seemed to be fading though. She guessed that they wouldn't be around next year. His spiky hair was almost golden colored with his bangs covering his forehead and almost his eyes. His village insignia was worn around his arm and he had the most peculiar necklace. Contrary to her crimson eyes, his eyes were blue and had a faint shine to them. Last but not least, she felt his chakra. It was…warm and gentle. It was a different vibe from what she was used to but she felt like it was something she could get used to.

Then she remembered Sasuke's Chakra. Lately, it had grown colder and colder, more and more menacing and harmful.

"I envy how easily satisfied you are."

"Hey! I don't have low standards." She replied. "I just enjoy the little things in life."

"I think satisfaction comes in how much people care about something. I care about success so when I succeed, I feel satisfied. You care about your tummy so-"

*Thwack*

"Haha…sorry." He smiled apologetically as he rubbed his head.

"forgiven. You treated me so it's fine."

he sighed in frustration and defeat.

Shopping District

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why me? As your teammate I mean."

"isn't it obvious?"

She raised her hand to hit him again but he continued quickly.

"I ruined your life like you said and…I think the least I can do is make it up to you, right?"

"Hah! You sure sound confident."

"I have a feeling…" he whispered to himself as he carried her bags.

Apartment

"The guest room is yours now. Make yourself at home." He said as he put the bags in her room. His arms were sore from the heavy lifting.

"Hey…are…alone…we…" she whispered with pink cheeks.

*Knock Knock*

"Hello Hinata-san."

Hearing those words gave her great relief. For some reason though, she felt a scintilla of bitterness.

"Thanks for coming over. Could you please take care of her while I set the table?"

For the next hour, she made her room with the Hyuuga's help, cleaned it up and went for a shower. Feeling refreshed after a girls' shower, she was drawn to the kitchen by the smell of hot and sweet vegetable curry.

"Smells great, Naruto-kun." Hinata praised as she came in after the redhead.

"Thanks. It's all I'm good at. I think I'll have to learn something other than instant noodles and curry now that I have an extra mouth to feed." He said jokingly and was elbowed in the rib for it.

"Hey! I can take care of myself you know."

"Really? That's great. What can you cook?"

"…"

"Cleaning?"

"…"

"can you at least keep things? Or do you lose keys?"

"…"

"*Sigh*…okay. Let's eat."

"Yes!"

Ten Minutes Later

"Seconds Please!"

He pushed his full plate forward with the hand that wasn't under his chin. He was smiling with amusement as she wolfed down the curry. It was satisfying to succeed in every field, even if the satisfaction comes at the price of another's satisfaction…especially so.

"You sure?"

"You're already halfway through it. Finish yours Hinata. She's already got her eyes on your plate."

"Eep!"

Balcony

"This. Is. the best!" she exclaimed as she stretched in the open air. She sat next to Hinata and took the popsicle she offered. The atmosphere was truly amazing. Naruto raised the volume of his cassette player and sat on the sofa next to Hinata.

"Wow…it's beautiful." She whispered.

"Cherry-colored dream." Naruto whispered back.

How long was it since she felt so at peace? No more doors to lock before going to bed. No more people to satisfy just to keep on living. Her eyes misted over as the music took on a slower and richer tone. The popsicle that was melting in her hand was right. The slow, cold autumn breeze was right. Hinata's napping head on her shoulder was right. She had such a good day too. Probably the best in her life. It was all so unexpected and dream like.

But was it really alright? Was it okay for her to feel so comfortable? What if Orochimaru was alive and-

"Don't worry." He suddenly said, breaking her train of thought. "if you think about stupid things, you'll ruin this moment."

"But how-"

"it's melting."

That night, she had a dream. A dream about her first Chuunin exam. About the boy who saved her. He and Sasuke looked a lot alike. She could almost swear they were brothers. In the dream, the boy who turned around revealed himself as Sasuke. She was ecstatic to see him.

"You won't believe what a great day I had!" she stated joyfully as she hugged him.

"Let me guess." He said with a harsh tone. "With him."

She turned around and saw Naruto standing on top of a branch. He looked distant. Cold almost. He jumped down from the branch and started to walk towards her. Her heartbeat began to race. His eyes were just like back then. Those were the same eyes he had when he asked to be left alone with Sasuke and yet, something wasn't right.

Sasuke was behind Naruto. He was walking the same way, moving the same way and even had the same distant look. Sasuke and Naruto stopped right before her as she almost suffocated from the pressure. Naruto closed his eyes and bit his lips in resistance, shaking his head to try and fight something back.

Seeing his actions, Sasuke put his hand on his arm and Naruto's cold demeanor returned. With Sasuke's guidance, his hand reached for the knife in his holster. Slowly, he reached forward and penetrated her heart after breaking the skin. And what a deeply pushed knife it was. Her mind was burning with grief as Naruto fell to his knees, holding his head. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

Morning

After her shower, she was once more, drawn to the fantastic smell of eggs and bacon. The shower-kitchen combo was something she could get used to.

"Whoa! Five eggs for three? And why so much bacon?"

"Are you asking seriously?" he replied monotonously, flipping the bacons skillfully.

"Morning Naruto-kun. Smells great."

"Thanks Hinata-san. Had a good girls' night?" he asked as he put the pan on the table and took his seat.

"Yes. It was very fun carrying her to your bed. How was couch?" she asked with a smile.

He growled under his breath about stiff necks and demons.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I was just very tired with training and all."

"It's fine, Hinata-chan. Spending the night with that bottomless pit is indeed tiring." He replied before beginning to eat.

She said something with her stuffed mouth but none of them could make it out.

He knew what he was going to say next would have dire consequences so he watched her swallow first.

"Have you reconsidered?"

It was amazing how just three words turned the warm cozy atmosphere into an awkward hell. Hinata really didn't want to be there at the moment so all she could do was play with the food on her plate. Naruto was looking at Karin expectantly and she was now playing with her food too.

"Officially, you have no other choices. Unofficially…well…back me up Hinata." He said as he switched from talking to eating.

"Um…you seem like a capable person, Karin-san. I think you have a good personality and it would be really nice if you joined the village." She finished with a small smile.

"Really? Really now, I've been devoting myself unconditionally to the man who unconditionally hated this village and worked to destroy it. Now you're saying we can call things off and be friends?"

"Well…" she fidgeted as she looked at Naruto.

"Just agree to being my partner. I will take care of the rest." He stated curtly. "and before you make some stupid comeback about taking care of yourself or not wanting my pity or whatever, don't forget the situation you're in right now." he continued with a tone of authority. "I kept you alive and now you're my responsibility." He finished with a strange tone she couldn't recognize.

"So what? You own me now?"

"pretty much."

"and let me guess. I have to jump when you say so because otherwise, you'll have my head on a brass plate?"

He sighed with increasing frustration.

"Why aren't you letting me help you? Living with Orochimaru in that snake pit must have been shit. I saw the rooms and the living conditions. What the hell?! You were basically not dying!"

Hinata really didn't want to be there…

"Yeah well it was better than living in some moron's debt!" she yelled back before storming out.

"…did she just walk out on me in her PJs?" he asked with closed eyes, a single hand running through his hair in frustration.

"Please find her for me. And explain to her that I'm the one in debt. I ruined her life and now I owe her one."

She nodded before running out after her, all too happy to be out of the unpleasant situation.

'I guess one's not enough since I took two…' he thought solemnly as he looked at her half empty plate.

For some reason, the sight depressed him greatly. Three half-eaten plates, Two empty chairs and the most crushing sense of loneliness he had had in a while. They were having such a good time too. But he knew it had to be done. The deed can be gilded but it can't be undone.

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his stiff wooden chair. It would have been so nice to be alone with himself and his evil deeds…

"Torune. Do you have it?"

"Yes, Uzumaki-sama. Here are both of them."

Ichiraku Ramen

"*Sniff* why didn't he say so in the first place?"

"It's okay Karin-chan. There's no need to cry."

"I'm not Crying! It's this spicy noodle. Oi Techui-jii-san! Is this really naruto's special?!" she asked incredulously.

"yes ma'am. It's what he orders all the time. He says it opens his appetite."

'And he's darn right!'

"Two more bowls jii-san. His special and mine."

"Comin' right up."

"Put it on his tab."

"Yes ma'am."

Once again…Hinata was in an awkward situation.

They were on their way home after a long walk through the shopping district. She had bought him a little gift to make up for her attitude. On his tab of course.

"I love how everyone knows him. I just say put it on his tab and they all smile back!" she exclaimed happily.

Hinata laughed nervously in return. She had told them to send Naruto the bill because he didn't really shop except for groceries.

'I hope he doesn't get mad at me for not stopping her…'

"So how come everyone knows him?" she finally asked.

"He's...ummm…it's complicated. I think you should ask him yourself. He'll explain it better."

"Well as long as he shows some gratitude. It took a while to choose this." She gestured to the bag in her hand.

After exploring the entire shopping district, and of course treating herself to all kinds of pastry and deliciousness, she managed to find something she thought suited him. It was a white hoodie with her favorite swirl mark on it. It was small and almost unnoticeable but she loved it nonetheless.

Eager to give him the present and make up for everything, she kicked the door open with joy.

"Surprise!" she yelled as she displayed the hoodie. The scenery though was far from what she had expected. To say it was shocking was an understatement.

The ANBU she saw in the Kage office was there with him and he was inspecting the Kusanagi.

Hinata, having had her fill of awkward situations was gone when Naruto nodded to her.

"Thanks Torune." He said curtly, dismissing him.

"Karin…" he said almost whisper-like as the hoodie fell from her hand. But he knew it had to be done. It was the right thing and that was precisely why it was so hard.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you twice in one day. I wanted to ask you whether you wanted this or not."

She didn't really process all of it. All she knew was that now, her hands were stinging and His red cheek was in no better condition. He slowly turned his head back towards her, looking only at her feet as he held the sword towards her.

"How?" she asked with a breaking voice. "How can you play with my feelings like this? Do you even care about how I feel? Is your sense of justice so important that you have to sacrifice everything?"

"Are you saying you don't want to kill me?" he said as he looked straight into her misty eyes.

She opened her mouth to say yes and end all the pain but she couldn't. she was frozen. Sasuke was standing behind him. She blinked to see if he would disappear but he didn't. he was looking at the sword with a displeased demeanor. Wordlessly, she took the blade from Naruto without taking her eyes off of him. He closed his eyes in satisfaction before he disappeared.

After she took the blade and went to her room, Naruto chose to take a shower. as he sat in the warm soapy water, he contemplated his next move...and what he had seen. He had seen Sasuke behind her and he knew what it meant. An unsolved piece named Sasuke was inside both of them and it had to be taken care of before they could move on.