There was blood everywhere.

Her arms, legs, fingers and toes. Even her face was coated in a fresh layer of blood. It was sticky and warm and the metallic smell was so strong it made her dizzy.

She was lying there watching helplessly as her friends, her family, were slaughtered just out of her reach.

But the blood—the warm puddle of blood she laid in—kept flowing by her. Looking around her she felt sick to her stomach; she smell, the feeling, the sight of her loved ones dead on the ground made her disgustingly nauseous.

It's when she focused to the body on the right of her when she began to hyperventilate. Naruto stared at her with wide eyes as he tried hard to breathe. His throat that had been cut was spraying blood all over him, the pool of blood growing so wide it enveloped both his body as well as hers.

When he reached toward her with a shaky hand—covered in bloodbloodblood so much blood—she cried out when his arm was pierced with a kunai, the knife sinking through his hand and pinning it to the ground.

She cried out loudly, her sobs shaking her body as she watched the life drain out of him with every ounce of his blood that spilt onto the dirt beneath them. She couldn't stop crying and she couldn't quiet her screams and she couldn't keep her eyes off the blood that was everywhere and everything.

It's when a kunai struck him in the side of the head, blood splattering out toward her, splashing against her face as she stared at his dead body. With his dead eyes staring back at her and a mixture of bone and brain matter sinking slowly down his face through the thick blood, she finally lost it.

.

.

.

When she woke up screaming, she couldn't stop the tears no matter how hard her mind tried to tell her 'it's okay, it's a dream, it's not real, it's okay'.

As she screamed and cried, a wave of nausea took hold of her—the smell of blood still fresh in her mind—and in seconds she was leaning over the edge of the bed, the contents of her stomach spilling out onto Naruto's hard, wooden floors.

When the door flew open and she felt comforting hands on her back, she couldn't even lift her head to look at him and she couldn't speak a word as she violently retched in between sobs.

She could hear his words as they tried to calm her.

"It's okay. You're alright. It's alright. I'm here. It's okay, Hinata. Shh. Don't cry. You're safe."

But even when her nausea subsided and she had nothing left to throw up, she couldn't stop crying. It was only when Naruto wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close when she realized how badly she was shaking.

He whispered reassuring words to her, much like he had the other night upon finding her running around the village hysterically.

"You're safe here with me. I'll always protect you. Alright? I won't let anyone hurt you any more for as long as I live. I promise, Hinata. No one will ever lay a finger on you for as long as I'm around."

His emotional vow only caused her to cry harder.

She didn't know how much time had passed—an hour at least—before she found her energy completely gone from her body. As her cries quieted into hardly-there whimpers, she rested her head against his chest, completely spent from her hysterical episode.

Laying her down softly on the mattress Hinata's eyes widened as she grabbed his arm with a firm grip; she didn't want him to leave her.

"It's okay. I'm just going to the kitchen. I'll be back, just lie down."

Reluctantly, she allowed her hand to fall back down as she pressed her cheek into Naruto's pillow. Over the next few minutes she watched as Naruto walked in and out of the room, bringing her water, a damp rag to rest against her forehead, and even another blanket. It was only when he started to clean up her vomit when she spoke.

"I can do that," she attempted to sit up but didn't get very far. Naruto pressed a hand down firmly on her shoulder, keeping her down on the bed.

"I got it. You rest." He then resumed cleaning his bedroom floor.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled sleepily. "I didn't mean to make a mess."

"It's okay. Just lie there for a little longer. I'm almost done."

Being true to his word the mess was cleaned up and he was back in the room only minutes later, sitting himself on the edge of the bed. Reaching out toward her he placed a hand on her cheek, staring down at her with a sad look in his eye. "Another nightmare, huh?"

She nodded, lip jutting out slightly in a pout as she thought back to her horrific dream.

"Don't worry," he brushed her hair out of her face, running his hands through the dark strands softly. "I have them, too."

"I'm sorry I've been so hard to deal with the past few days."

He let out a light laugh, "Stop apologizing. And nothing you can do would make me stop wanting to be around you."

"You're so sweet," she mumbled, eyes blinking slowly as she fought against unconsciousness. "You're the sweetest person I know, Naruto-kun."

He smiled down at her, still running his fingers lightly through her hair. "I think you give me a little too much credit."

"Not enough," she slurred.

"Go back to sleep." Before she could voice any opposition he cut her off. "I'll stay, alright?"

Hinata nodded out of relief, finally allowing her body to fully relax into the bed. As Naruto climbed into the bed from the other side, she forced herself to turn over in order to face him.

It took him about a minute to get himself comfortable as he stirred.

"I've never shared a bed before," she mumbled sleepily, watching him settle down into his own mattress.

"Me neither," he smirked at her. Lifting the blanket, he rearranged it slightly so that it covered both of their bodies evenly. "Warm enough?" He asked, draping the comforter over her shoulders.

"Mhm," she hummed contently, "thank you." Her eyes flickered shut after a few seconds, her exhaustion becoming more prominent with each moment she forced her eyes to remain open. Although she did peek an eye open after a soft, comforting feeling enveloped her.

She watched as Naruto studied her closely, an arm reaching out toward her as his fingers brushed hair out of her face. She found herself leaning into his touch, finding it incredibly soothing as his fingertips gently caressed the side of her face.

Before she felt her mind drift off to sleep, she reached up with a sluggish hand and wrapped her fingers around a few of his. She heard him say something but she was far too out-of-it to decipher his words; instead she held on tightly to his hand as she nuzzled into the pillow, willingly letting herself fall back asleep.

.

.

.

She woke up with a start the following morning. The loud and unexpected sounds of Naruto snoring had jolted her out of her sleep abruptly. Sitting up in bed she rubbed the back of her neck, working the kinks out as she stretched and yawned. Letting her tired eyes find Naruto's form she had to place a hand over her mouth to quiet the giggle that slipped through her lips.

She was surprised that his snoring had been the thing to wake her up, and not the way he slept.

Somehow, during the night, Naruto had managed to remove himself from the blankets completely and now was lying over-top of the covers. On his back, mouth open with snores pouring out, one arm was stretched out, lying above where Hinata's head had just been, and another had been thrown over top of his eyes as if blocking out the small strands of sunlight that leaked through his curtains.

Only admiring his sleeping form for another few seconds she swung her feet over the edge of the bed and slowly tiptoed across the floor. Closing the door behind her she looked around the apartment only to find it lit with the bright light of early morning.

Deciding that it would make her feel better to shower before doing anything else, she made her way to the bathroom, readying herself to start her day.

Thankfully, the shower left her feeling as refreshed and energized as she hoped it would. Towel wrapped around her body she lifted a thick strand of wet hair and held it up to her nose, inhaling deeply. His shampoo had left her hair with a very distinct smell; it was very masculine, veryNaruto.

As she started to dress herself, putting on her underwear and a pair of jean shorts that Sakura had loaned to her, she hopped up onto the edge of Naruto's sink for a moment in order to dry her hair more comfortably. Leaning her back against his mirror she brought up the towel and began to rub her hair with it, leaning her head forward in order to perform her task more easily.

Humming to herself idly, she allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she worked, daydreaming pleasantly. Waking up next to Naruto… using his shower every morning… this was something she could get used to…

Although during her musings she had neglected to notice the door swing open abruptly.

The moment a cool draft hit her bare legs she froze, flipping her head up abruptly, hands still holding onto the towel that her hair was wrapped in. She immediately met Naruto's gaze.

She could tell that he was still half-asleep by the way his eyes were half-lidded and his mouth was hanging open slightly, a pillow still under his arm for some reason.

It wasn't until she squeaked out of shock when he seemed to jump out of his sleepy haze.

Eyes shooting open wide, pillow dropped onto the floor and left forgotten by his feet, Naruto gaped at her for a split second before the small bathroom was a mess of movement and noise.

"Naruto!—" she quickly hopped off the sink, moving the towel in front of her—

"I'M SO SORRY." He quickly slapped a hand over his eyes—

"Oh god," she mumbled to herself , backing up until her back hit the shower door—

"I JUST—I FORGOT YOU WERE HERE AND—I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS—" with the other hand he reached down and blindly searched for the pillow he'd dropped, grabbing it tightly and stumbling backwards out of the bathroom. Hitting the back of his heel with the front of his opposite foot he fell on his backside just outside the bathroom, one hand still over his eyes, the other still clinging to the pillow.

With another surprised yelp Hinata jumped forward, gripping the edge of the door and practicallythrowing it closed. The moment that the door slammed shut she sank to the floor slowly, embarrassment coursing through her as the reality of the situation hit her.

Naruto had just seen her half-naked.

Half-naked…

Of course she'd been wearing a bra but that didn't change the fact that he'd seen her, post-shower, almost completely exposed.

Half.

Naked.

Standing up on unsteady legs she turned toward the mirror just to get a good look at herself. Not lowering the towel she held in front of her chest she couldn't take her eyes off of her blood-red face. That had been the last thing she'd been expecting to happen while getting ready for the day.

She had no idea how she was going to face him.

Taking her time drying her hair and dressing herself she stood in the bathroom, completely ready for her day, for several long minutes before opening the door and hesitantly venturing out into Naruto's apartment.

Eyes drifting toward the front door and noting his jacket still hung up on the hook, she knew he was still close by.

But before she could turn back toward the rest of the apartment, he was suddenly before her.

"Hinata, I am so sorry!" He was only inches from her as he apologized, looking down at her with his eyes wide and sincere, and with his face burning red with embarrassment. "I don't know what I was thinking—well, obviously I wasn't thinking—but I'm so so so so sorry! I'm just not used to having someone over so much and that's just a habit and—"

As his sentences started to run on he paused and took in a deep breath, trying hard to explain his faux pas.

"I—It's okay, Naruto-kun," she spoke, her voice hardly louder than a quiet squeak. She was still thoroughly embarrassed about the situation, but it was almost comforting to know that he was just as embarrassed.

"I would never do that on purpose. I mean, like, if I knew you were in there I never would've opened the door! I swear it was an accident!"

"I believe you," she assured him, confused as to why he'd even consider the fact that she might think that he'd ever do that on purpose.

"I'm just… I'm so sorry. I don't know what—wait, I know! I'm going to make it up to you!"

"Huh?" She spoke dumbly.

"Yeah! I'm going to make it up to you!"

"Um, okay?" she watched him with confusion as his face lit up with a bright smile, the redness completely gone. "Wait—where are you going?"

As he jogged over toward the front door, grabbing his jacket and opening the door in one swift movement, he turned back toward her and flashed her a bright grin.

She could feel her breath catch in her throat at the sight.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be back later! I have stuff to do now!"

And with one final smile, he closed the door behind him and was gone in an instant.

Still standing shocked, damp towel hung over her shoulder, she found herself looking toward the door for a long moment before tearing her gaze away. She couldn't understand how he could go from devastatingly humiliated in one moment to completely fine, happy, and excited in the next.

She liked to think she was as positive and optimistic as the next person, but Naruto was on an entirely different level that she still couldn't quite understand.

For a little while she didn't know what to do with herself. After finding a little bit to eat for breakfast and taking out the trash—which still held her stomach contents from the night before, she grimaced in realization—she found herself simply sitting on Naruto's couch, her feet propped up as she let her heavy eyelids flutter closed.

She'd hardly slept the night before. Between waking up to an awful nightmare and getting woken up early by Naruto's snoring, she hadn't gotten as much rest as she'd wanted to.

As she closed her eyes and let her mind drift off, she let out a deep, content sigh. Yet, just before her mind could fully be put to sleep, the sound of knocking brought her back to the conscious world.

Sitting up and glancing toward the door, she was so sleepy that she contemplated just ignoring it; after all, it wasn't her door to answer.

But when the person knocked again and then spoke, Hinata couldn't ignore it.

"I know you're in there, oneesan."

Eyes widening, she stood up and quickly strode up to the door. Not even hesitating as she threw it open, she had to hold in her gasp of surprise.

"Hanabi-chan."