AN: Can you tell that I was the type of kid who did all their assignments last minute? I apologize for not posting this Tues Midnight. By the time anyone reads this, it's already Thurs. I still have to write the third chapter, so at this point I'm just going to state that there is no schedule to this fic. ^_^;;;

Anyways, I hope this chapter reads smoothly, because I've stitched some scenes from a different chapter into this one, and added some new things as well. So there is POV switching, but it should be coherent. Also, this is the main backstory chapter. I have some cut content that may or may not make it back into the story, but I think this chapter alone should suffice information-wise.

Hope you like this update!

Asynchronous With You

Chapter Two

Naruto wasn't the first child.

Somehow he had expected to be.

A girl his age, age six, and her older cousin had already been living here for a year now.

They had family, they were just... deemed unfit.

Maybe they'll take them back when they get their act together. He doesn't know. He only knows that he doesn't have the luxury of hope that they do.

Nobody was coming back to get him.

And he had nowhere to go back to.

The foster lady with the ruby-red eyes showed him his bedroom.

At first, Naruto thought Hinata and Neji were close, so much so that no one could ever be closer.

Then he thought it was their tactic to keep others out, self-preservation in blood.

Hinata was nice enough, but she never strayed far from Neji.

That was because he never let her.

She wasn't just fiercely loyal to him. She was scared of him.

He tried to get Neji in trouble. Kurenai-obasan needed to know. But Hinata stopped him. She told him not to split them apart. That she didn't mind Neji bossing her around. She would never be okay if she didn't know where her cousin was.

So he tried. But it was hard. He still picked fights with Neji.

That didn't make Hinata happier, either.

He still thinks it's Neji's fault when she finally breaks down, telling them both off before running to her room.

He runs after her, but she won't let him in.

He goes to his room and talks to her through his wall. He has to press himself flat against it, straining to hear a sound.

Could she hear him, too?

"I'll leave Neji alone for real this time, okay?" It's a bitter promise because it makes him feel like he's surrendered when he did nothing wrong. But a part of him also feels tired of this pattern playing out day after day. He'd rather spend his time better if he could.

The silence stretched past the point of comfort, and he pictured tomorrow. A tomorrow where Hinata may hate him. Enough to shun him in his own home. And would he really do what he's always done to others to her? Would he really go that far for attention?

His unconscious concerns spill out, running through his fingers before he could stuff the words back in and swallow them. "Hinata... can I bug you instead?" he flinches and freezers, and he waits.

It's faint, but he heard her.

"Sure," she said.

His shoulders lowered. Pressing his back to the wall, he slid down to the floor, tension leaking from his body and he smiled.

Their early years would then be shaped by a secret language expressed between the two of them from that moment on, where a pinch on the arm and a retaliatory swat was a polite exchange in the morning. Where a "missing" item was an excuse to search the house together, and where a stolen item was an invitation to enter each other's bedrooms.

Hinata really liked to show him her new collection of pressed flowers, and he really liked to show her his latest Gachapon figurine.

Whenever that happened, it was usually one of those new things that went "missing" shortly after.

It wasn't that Kurenai-obasan didn't spoil him as much as them. He could have new things all the time if he made a point of it. But she hadn't been planning on taking him in, hadn't been prepared for him. If he wanted more things, Hinata would have to have less.

And the time he could spend with her was more than enough for him.

Halfway through their grade school years, their secret games had waned. Being in the same grade helped to keep them in touch throughout the day, but at lunchtime she was Neji's. And after school, she was Neji's. And that's just how it was.

But they were maturing. Their experiences were expanding. They had so much to talk about.

But how could they? It had to be at bedtime. And because it had to be bedtime, they had to be quiet.

He got the idea to drill a hole into their bedroom wall, so that way they could easily whisper and not get caught.

That was one of his first thrills: vandalism.

"I think you mean 'home improvement'," she had giggled from the other side.

He had to process that.

He never realized until then that he still hadn't considered this his home.

Thanks to Kurenai-obasan, he had food in his belly and a roof over his head. He had a bed, things to entertain himself with, and a safe route to school.

Thanks to Neji, he had a model of masculinity. Not a role model, mind you, but a model nonetheless. Some things about Neji were cool, even admirable. Some other things he would never do in his life, like talk to other people like that. They had both been abandoned, alone and confused, sure, but it always annoyed him how Neji refused to look anywhere but back.

Naruto always had to look forward.

Maybe the way they both did things was equally imperfect.

He smiled to himself, as this is where he had to thank Hinata, for she kept them both grounded in the present. Because that's how she lives her life, like each day is a gift not to be squandered.

Who cares about being hurt yesterday? Or what good or bad fortunate hasn't come their way yet?

Right now, in this moment, he was home.

This was his home.

For Hinata, she didn't know what she was expecting when Kurenai announced that another child would be joining them soon.

He showed up a little smaller than her, with wary blue eyes and uncombed blond hair. He didn't bring anything with him.

The idea of having a forever playmate intrigued her, but after a few weeks, it became clear he had no interest in playing, only fighting.

During those times when she managed to get away, she laid down on her bedroom floor, curled around a picture book, and fantasized about magical forests and open meadows. Away from stupid boys and their stupid ways.

And then suddenly, wanted to get rid of Neji. He thought she wanted to be rid of Neji, too. He was going to tattle on Neji really bad and that would be the end of that.

Who taught him that the only way to fix things was to destroy them?

She told him she didn't mind Neji bossing her around. Maybe it's like what she's heard adults say, that all she needs is structure. Plus, he was the only blood she had. Neji was part of her old normal and she wasn't going to give him up.

She didn't think Naruto would listen. He seemed pretty sure about what he was talking about. But then he didn't tattle after all, and yet the fights seemed even more vigorous.

She would find a volume inside herself that she didn't know she possessed, and it had scared her straight to her room. Her own ears boomed. It reminded her of all the yellings she used to receive before Kurenai, and her instincts to hide had kicked in.

It wasn't Neji who came after her, but Naruto.

He felt bad about his behavior. But he wanted something in exchange. He couldn't have nothing after this.

She wasn't sure what 'bugging her' was going to be like, but she's been wanting to get along with him since day one. All because he didn't like Neji, she thought that would never happen.

"Sure," she had told him, and the following afternoon he pinched her arm.

Their early years became lighter and warmer over time.

Bed-headed breakfasts were followed by anime and other children's programming.

Lunchtimes capped off a day of play.

Dinners were full of conversation, and movie nights were spent huddled together on the couch.

Although Naruto preferred to sit at the low table than on the sofa with them, that was alright. He often turned around while pointing at the TV to exclaim about whatever cool thing had happened.

Way before their first day at kindergarten, he was the kind of kid that told you what he was going to be when he grew up.

As impressionable as he was, his dreams never stayed consistent.

She had no particular dreams herself.

Just a collection jar of precious memories.

There were summers at the beach, where the only way to get Neji out from under the umbrella was after significant harassment from Naruto to accept one of his many challenges. After submitting to a bout of flag foot racing, and winning (Neji had the longer legs), Naruto would rescind their agreement or feign forgetfulness and challenge him to something else. Which Naruto would inevitably fail at, as well.

There had also been train rides to the countryside to visit Kurenai's parents. Such trips have been rather high-maintenance, but interesting. Naruto, with his bottomless hunger for stimulation, would pass the time by talking to all the strangers in the cabin - with mixed results.

But her favorite summertime memories were the adventures Naruto had created for the three of them.

Fantastical quests seeking treasure (buried bottle caps from the previous era), scrolls of ancient magic (a rubberbanded bundle of receipts), or enchanted weapons of destiny (nerf swords he found at the local dumpsite). Investigating made-up mysteries, like what was the candy store manager's secret? Or did people really disappear at the abandoned shrine deep in the woods? And also the more mundane days when Naruto was in a conventional mood, and they went out to see who could collect the most bugs, or eat the most sriracha chips (an instant disqualifier for Neji that Naruto happily exploited).

But it was the amusement park that was the true equalizer. There wasn't a ride nor snack stop that they couldn't do together.

Autumn was rather sparse for activities, as they had outgrown Coming of Age Day. But there was Naruto's birthday, and that came in two parts.

For the longest time, Shikamaru and Chouji were the only friends who would answer his birthday invitations. They'd spend it at laser tag or the arcade, then cap it off at Ichiraku Ramen. She and Kurenai would have freshly made cake waiting for him when he got home.

Winter was something else.

Snow didn't fall in the city, but that didn't mean winters weren't cold. Standing around a pile of burning leaves, they waited for the sweet potatoes to finish baking. Taking that first bite together, cheeks puffing up in happiness, that was ethereal to her. She swore he sparkled and she'd been grateful to have been there to experience it.

On her birthdays, they would take a trip up to the Northern region of Hi no Kuni, where they would stay at a lodge for the weekend, enjoy the snow-blanketed scenery, the baked chestnuts and natural hot springs.

Naruto could never resist starting a pillow fight when the lights went out.

Spring signaled new beginnings; A new school year, the blooming of the cherry blossoms. Kurenai would take them cherry blossom viewing and set up a picnic by a tree. But then Naruto would run off to look for someone to play with. Maybe he's run into Shikamaru and Chouji.

He never thought to invite her, and she never gave any indication that she wanted to tag along.

In fact, she hesitated to come off as clingy or lonely.

They lived together, after all.

There was no such thing as 'not enough time' when spent together, and any claim to the contrary was a pathetic exaggeration.

Consulting her jar, which she summoned from her heart, it softened the edges of her anxiety, but it didn't cure her of it.

By this point, she was nine years old, and the sight of Naruto was beginning to carve out a new hole in her, right beside the one he had already filled.

Naruto noticed that girls at school always cupped their ears when they were eavesdropping. They cup their mouths when telling secrets or bad-mouthing others.

Hinata cups her ear around the hole in their wall when he's telling stories. And she cups her mouth when she's telling him hers.

Her tiny ears are sensitive, so he tries to watch his volume. He forgets himself when he gets excitable.

Her breath tickles and teases a memory from his brain, one that fills him with both sadness and relief.

When he tries to sleep, he searches for the root of this feeling.

The next day on television, there's a mother murmuring her baby to sleep.

He adopts that image, believing it to be a forgotten memory.

And the following night, Hinata's soothing whispers confirm that he had a mother once, and she used to sing him to sleep.

Hinata's a wimp.

He loves the girl, but at school, she is a gosh damn trouble magnet.

He jumps in front of her bullies, fists blazing, and he loses.

A lot.

But he gets to pick fights again. He gets to be cool from time to time. And when he gets better, he becomes the best. He gets a reputation!

By the time they reach fifth grade, he doesn't even have to raise a fist.

A well-aimed death glare is enough.

When Neji's graduation forces the two cousins apart for the first time in their lives, the older Hyuuga seemingly undergoes a personality shift.

He expresses legitimate concern for Hinata.

Maybe it's been there all along.

They're both standing on the empty landing just outside their elementary's gymnasium where the remainder of the proceedings were taking place. Neji's stare, heavy with expectations and ultimatum, bore down on his little shoulders.

"I'm counting on you."

"Yeah, don't worry. I got this!" Naruto flashed his patent cocky grin, and this time not a hint of condescension passed Neji's face.

Naruto's heart thumped wildly as they returned to the gymnasium. Neji returned to his position amongst the other students standing in the center of the court. Family members lined the walls in foldable metal chairs, a spattering of pride and loss playing out across their faces; Their children were growing up.

When Naruto took his seat, he stole a glance at Hinata on the other side of Kurenai-obasan. Her gentle profile seemed to unlock something inside of him. He couldn't tell if it was happiness pouring out or in, but it was threatening to overflow.

From now on, he was officially her protector.

Her brother.

He never noticed how their paths had lead them further and further apart.

Their daily routines had remained the same, aside from a few exciting developments.

Like Kurenai reconnecting with a childhood friend. Asuma was a Marine vet who just got done serving his minimum six years. He would have gone out to his second tour if he hadn't run into Kurenai again. Hinata bashfully admitted how romantic it was. The man was also a chain-smoker, so there was no way of knowing he was visiting without seeing his shoes in the genkan and hearing his voice from the balcony. All in all, he seemed like a cool guy.

Another development was when Naruto happened upon a tied-up collection of skin mags dumped behind the school pool storage room. (They now safely kept the dust bunnies under his bed company).

There was also the neighborhood 'shrimp squad' of grade-schoolers who called him Oyabun whenever he came over to play.

Or that time he was hanging out with Sasuke at the arcade, and some older teens had tried to intimidate them into giving up their spot on the Initial D racing cabinet. What followed after had left an impression on Naruto forever, and laid the foundation of his youth going forward. Sasuke was super cool when he had insulted those older teens. He was even cooler when he took out four of the five them in ten seconds. Naruto managed to take out the last guy on his own, but not without two shots in the liver and a swollen left eye. Still, he took the win.

But what was perhaps the biggest development of all was the one that had surprised him the most: Hinata's ascension to Deputy Class Representative to their own Haruno Sakura.

She was volunteered for the position based on her equally outstanding grades. Or, at least that's what they had believed.

Over time, it became apparent that they had volunteered Hinata to be Sakura's foil. Hinata was considerate and much more approachable. If the students wanted something, they asked Hinata first.

But then her unchanged nature became more and more detectable.

Like he's said before, Hinata's a wimp.

She crumbles at the slightest disapproval.

She implodes when she's convinced she could do better. When she thinks that she's failing.

So halfway through their first year, she started to get abused. Girls and boys alike tried to strongarm her into 'improving' their lives here at school. They made her fetch their lunches and dumped cleaning duty on her every day. Then if she complained, they threw her words back at her. They said "But it's what you signed up for", and "Isn't it your job? Don't you care about your classmates?".

From orphan to orphan, he understands. But she really shouldn't keep tying her self-worth and identity to people who don't give a shit.

They don't deserve her.

Somehow Sakura had never noticed what was going on. He tried to tell her. He knew they would listen to her and back off if she confronted them herself. But she didn't take him seriously. He tried to tell teh teachers, but they acted like he had no evidence.

Liars! They just didn't want to get involved! What good are teachers if they don't help their students?!

Some weeks later, the following exams were posted outside the classroom.

Sakura was number two this time, while Ino had climbed back up to number one. They were always competing for the top, always unevenly dethroning the other.

Hinata was number three. Again. Suspiciously, consistently always number three.

She could rise to the top, but she won't. He's pushed her to, but it makes her uncomfortable. She thinks Sakura and Ino will get mad at her. She knows she could hold onto number one and never let them have it again. But she likes where she is.

He doesn't want that for her.

He easily finds his name and score at the very bottom of the list.

Dead Last, like always.

It's a little insulting in a way.

He tries so hard, but he can't even eke out to second-worst in the class. Not even once.

He doesn't share this feeling with her. Even when she offers to tutor him, he just pretends he's bad because he doesn't care.

Over time, that indifference will come true.

Naruto doesn't decide he can take abuse. He knows he can.

His first six years a state-run orphanage made proof of that.

He realized what he had to do for Hinata to see her worth. She needed a break from the harassment. If he learned anything from her about plants, she was withering down to her roots and she needed a safe environment to grow in.

So the following day, he took Hinata's place as the class slave. He fetched their lunches, their drinks, got them snacks whenever they asked. They said they were bored, he was their class clown. (It wasn't so bad when he had a reliable outlet for his pent up aggression in the form of street bawls with other kids). The only thing he was never asked to do was their homework. Because... yeah.

Plus, nobody knew they lived together.

If they did, well, he might've been forced to copy Hinata's assignments all the same.

He never noticed how their paths lead them apart, or when it started, how their daily routines had boxed them into two different social spheres never to overlap.

He still saw himself as her brother, her protector.

But perhaps somewhere along the way, that stopped?

Fourteen-year-old Naruto laid sprawled belly-down on the sofa, playing on his handheld when Kurenai-obasan calls out to him as she's emerging from the laundry room.

"Naruto. I've stared at this hamper for three weeks now," She dropped it at her feet with a weighty thump. "Are you going to do it or not?"

Surreptitiously powering off the screen, he answered. "I just forgot about it."

Slipping off the sofa, he makes a dramatic show by dragging his feet and lolling his head back. He hauls the hamper back inside the laundry room, and he doesn't look when he opens the washing machine and dumps his clothes into the drum. But the pile is sticking up. He tries to smash it down, but he can't. It's already full.

"Crap," he scoops out his month-old laundry in four armfuls, dropping the piles at his feet. He then reaches in to grab the damp garments and begins shoveling them into the dryer. At least that's empty.

He doesn't notice the butter-yellow hoodie with white polka dots on the kangaroo pockets. Or the frilly linen top that needs to be dried on the line. Or the no-show socks with rabbits on them.

Once the drum was cleared out, he hurled his fermented clothes into the washer and started up both machines.

He went back to his game, letting several hours pass without notice. Kurenai had to remind him to dry his clothes as she delivered the dryer's contents to Hinata's room. This was because Hinata was at cram school.

As he did was he was told, he recalled how Neji had done cram school too before moving onto a prestigious high school deep in the city center.

Naruto never knew whether to be jealous or not. Schoolwork was utterly useless and he didn't envy the workload of overachievers, but maybe that was the only because he wasn't equipped to handle it. Maybe he has to be a genius to appreciate it better. Or maybe he'd figure out ingenious ways to skip it all.

He played his game on the laundry room floor, waiting for the final ding to go off. He used the same dirty hamper to gather up his clean clothes and dragged the overflowing mess into his room, where he promptly dumped it all on his bed.

Fresh laundry was intoxicating and he didn't resister the temptation to belly-flop face-first into the softener-saturated warmth.

He deeply inhaled as he sank in deeper, his cheek felt particularly nice against this satin material.

His left eye opened a peek. Vanilla white and lavender stripes met his eye, with a rose lace and ribbon trim along the waistband.

Naruto shot upright, his face no longer hot from the laundry but hot with horrified embarrassment. He stared at the garment like it might come to life, jump on him and eat his face.

It hadn't so far.

'It should be fine to pick them up, right?' he thought, with frozen hand stretched out.

Why was he acting so weird about this? They used to mix their laundry up all the time. It's actually how Hinata acquired her love of hoodies when he would give her the ones he didn't like. Hell, they used to bathe together until they were eight!

It's not perverted.

If she had a pair of his boxers, she would do the same for him.

Plucking up his courage, and her panties, he held the undergarment by its corners like it were an enveloped laced with Ricin, and he dumbly gazed at it.

Somehow they were exactly what he expected Hinata to wear. So girly and cute.

Pale skin flashed before his eyes, a taboo vision of Hinata lifting her pleated uniform skirt had startled him and he dropped the undergarment with a cracked yelp.

Did he really just imagine her that way?

Smacking his cheeks until he was sure the stupid had been purged from his brain, he got over himself and simply delivered her panties to her bedroom, unceremoniously adding to the top of her hamper.

He pretended to be asleep by the time she got home.

He ignored the sweet voice that dripped from the hole in their wall like treacle until she gave up and stopped calling him.

There was no way he could hold a conversation with her after that experience.

And to think he had to rely on his skin mags to purge him of his sin.

Weightlifting was doing wonders for him.

For starters, it was taking his mind off of his burgeoning libido.

For another, his physique was changing. He was starting to sprout up, too. Hinata's former bullies were starting to learn some new emotions, like reluctance and fear. They eventually moved on to their freshman, leaving him alone to finally live his final year of middle school the way he'd always wanted.

But as it became apparent that the more he did weights, the more girls started to look his way, he no longer saw it as the healthy outlet that it was. Now it was the only reason to keep it up.

He no longer felt like a hanger-on when hanging out with Sasuke, he felt like his equal.

Life was looking good! Is what he thought when hanging out on the roof with Sasuke and two Ojou-gyaru types. One of them was straddling Sasuke while Naruto spooned the other girl from behind.

Thinking of how much he didn't want this to end, he realized that in fact, it was.

Their final year of middle school was only six months away. And a choice he had been overlooking was rapping its knuckles against his temple, and he couldn't shoo it away.

"Hey." Naruto turned towards Sasuke.

"Hn?"

"Where are you going for High School?"

Sasuke turned his head up towards the sky. He was pensively silent. Then he shrugged. "I'm going to stay."

"So you're going to Konoha Normal High?"

"Just like everyone else."

'Everyone else' didn't include Hinata, and he was supposed to stick close to her.

How suspicious would it be if he chose to follow her to her high school of choice?

What if he couldn't? What if she was following the same path as Neji?

Neji would be there until her senior year. Was his responsibility to the both of them over already?

Naruto would later get a text from Kurenai-obasan that she would be spending the night with Asuma.

K-Obasan: There's curry udon in the fridge.

He narrowed his eyes at the text.

Just because you add noodles to leftover curry doesn't make it a Naruto-approved dinner!

"Udon's not even the same thing!"

His steps slowed in the school corridor. It was enough for his rooftop date to catch up with him.

"Your face looks weird when you're glum," she giggled as she poked at his cheek.

"Yeah, well, I just realized I'm about to go home and no one's going to be waiting for me."

"Oh?" She circled her arms around his and leaned in close, pinning him with a lascivious look from beneath her lashes. "Good for us, huh?"

His eyes widened in realization. A goofy grin stretched across his face, the corners curling to match her mood.

Yeah, life was starting to finally reimburse him for all that pain he's gone through.

When Naruto and his playdate make it back to his place, there are no shoes in the genkan. He's got the apartment to himself just as promised.

He's starting to get nervous when he takes off his shoes and she bounds across the corridor, heading towards the living room.

A brow perks up as he follows after her and she's sitting prettily on the sofa, with her hand on the remote.

He walks up behind her and perches his elbows beside her head as she finds the program she was looking for.

One of those intense dramas with controlling parents and an abusive ex-boyfriend. Naruto dropped his head with a sigh. This is not what he thought was going to happen.

At the sound of her patting the spot beside her, he reluctantly agrees and plops down with his arms crossed and his spine limp. Already bored.

"I'm obsessed with these, so you're going to have to bear with it," she said almost seductively, like a Mistress withholding his reward after a bout of slow torture.

Suddenly the front door goes ker-chunk. A shock runs up his back and his arms tense around his middle. Head turned towards the entryway, he stares in disbelief as Hinata pads across the corridor. She nearly enters. The kitchen is behind them after all. But she freezes as his panicked expression and ducks down around the corner.

Naruto raises up, saying "I'm gonna take a piss."

"If you're escaping, I'm leaving."

"I'll be back, for real. I'll watch your show with you. But I really gotta leak," He hurried off and sharply rounded the right corner. He grabbed Hinata by her shoulders and hurried her down the corridor, hiding her behind his larger frame. They made it back to her room where he closed the door behind them. And then he looked up at Hinata's winded expression. "Thought you'd be at Cram."

"I,I was about to make us dinner," her voice shook breathlessly. His eyes dropped down to the grocery bags in both her hands. He could make out an extensive category of cup ramen brands and flavors through semi-transparent plastic. The shape of the other bag was tented, a case of eggs weighing it down. "I didn't think you'd be happy with curry udon."

"I wasn't," He crossed her room, closing the space between them and he took the bag of ramen of from her. He eyed the goodies inside. Some favorites, some unknowns. Triple X Crawfish flavor? Carbonara? Squid Ink? He was already beginning to forget both his guest and his libido in favor the buffet right before him.

"I thought we could try them together." She bit her lip. Her with her hand free, she began to finger and twist the hem of her skirt. An action that was perilously similar to the vision he had when he imagined her in her panties.

The cloth-wringing was a subtle shift from her finger-poking days, but it was a tell nonetheless.

It must've put her off to find out there was a stranger home, even if he was the one that brought her in. She's still not very good around new people, and he thinks perhaps that pretty girls intimidate her too, (with special exceptions held out for Ino and Sakura). He literally just brought the enemy into her territory.

What to do, what to do?

Did it seem like he had a choice anymore? No way he could still get lucky with Hinata home.

Naruto grimaced as he did the only thing he could do. "Well, she said if I don't watch her show with her, she'll leave."

Hinata's shoulders visibly relaxed. They exchanged lopsided smiles as they hovered in the silence.

Taste-testing cup ramen with his foster sister. His mouth stretched wider at the notion, contentment and gratitude deepening a little further in his heart.

When was the last time they hung out together, anyway?

They passed the time talking like they used to do, only pausing when a rather violent ker-chunk rattled down the corridor.

Naruto grimaced as that girl's dual nature became more apparent to him. Kind of like someone he used to have a crush on.

Naruto stood up and reached his hand out to Hinata, grinning widely, teeth gleaming. "I think you might've saved me this time, Hinata."

As they sampled and slurped each new flavor over dinner, sharing bites and commenting on which ones they liked best, Naruto remembered the one thing that's been weighing in the back of his mind. He remembered because he was having fun, and there might come a day when he can't have fun with her like this.

"Where're you going for high school?" he asked.

Hinata slurped up the two noodles hanging daintily from her chopsticks before she put the cup down, her expression thoughtful. "Kurenai-san can't afford to give me the same education that she gave Neji, so my options are limited."

"What? That's not fair."

Hinata replied with a shrug and a smile. "It's not really fair on her, either. She just happened to be our next-door neighbor when it happened. She didn't have to take us in. And if she never knew us and what we were going through, she never would have. You could say we were lucky and she was unlucky-"

"If she really felt that way, then you wouldn't still be here and Neji wouldn't have seen graduation. The way you're thinking of it is completely wrong."

"Did you wish I hadn't come home?"

Naruto pulled back. "Huh?"

"Spending time with her may have been boring, but you were looking forward to something else. You can have the things you want when you don't have to share."

How did the conversation devolve like this? Where was all of this coming from?

"Hinata... Wherever you go, I'm going to go with you," As he said that, her head perked up, her wet eyes took him all in. "I think so, anyway. Everyone's staying here, so, I think I'd miss them a whole lot. I mean, making new friends is great and all, but I got a good thing going here. What about you?"

A chill inhabited her features like she had just locked herself away in order to face him.

"I don't know."

"Aren't you in two clubs now that you're not deputy class rep anymore? What was it, bug-catching and dog grooming?"

Two interests that couldn't be more unrelated if it weren't for the fact that it was Hinata who was interested. She had that motherly nature about her. She loved to take care of things. Just like she chose to do now for him.

Hinata nodded lamely.

He slouched in his chair, one arm draped over the back as he sighed in resignation. He wanted to hear words from her, but it didn't seem like that was going to happen. He glanced in her direction and his dismay edged further into disappointment.

She kind of looked like Neji right now. Like back when he and Neji were bitter and small. Hinata looked like a blizzard raging inside a snow globe.

He has to stick close to her, make sure she's alright at all times. But right now, he was failing. Right now, he couldn't see what was attacking her.

Hinata laid curled on her bedroom floor just like when she was little.

She shouldn't be here. Listening to the sounds of his guttural teenage lust spilling through the half-inch diameter hole between their rooms. She shouldn't be subjecting herself to the exaggerated moans of the other girl, as each pitch and praise stabbed her in the heart.

He thinks she isn't home right now.

She wants to keep it that way.

AN: So yeah, this backstory ends before they graduate middle school and the current story is taking place just after their High School Festival. That is about 8 months of untold content? I'll get to it eventually in some way, the tumblr content might be permanently cut at this point, but I've already referenced the only major development (that happened during that gap of time) in the story in the previous chapter.

Thank you for reading!