"Report this afternoon."
I furrow my brows when I hear a man's voice talking in the background. Jiji?
"No, I need it asap. I can't go further if I can't confirm anything."
Wait. Jiji's voice is not like this? I slowly peek through my heavy lids, soft ray filters through my messy hair, blinking a few times to adjust the light. Huh–?
"It's getting dangerous. I don't even know if I'd be able to control myself anymore."
My confusion just goes deeper when, instead of seeing the cream-painted wall of my bedroom, what greets my sight is dark gray wall combined with navy shades, a big-ass glass window showing the perfect view of the city far to the horizon, and the shining sun already hanging up pretty high in the sky–wait?!
I gasp.
I jump from my slumping position, the sleep on my eyes just vanishes like they never existed in the first place, and I frantically look for the clock. Shit I have class today! I'm about to swing my feet to run for a bath, but my movement halts when I feel a sudden sting around my crotch, sore all over my body, and how I don't even wear even a sheet of clothing–holy shit!
"Morning," a deep yet gentle voice greets me and I snap to look at where it comes from. Naruto.
I panickedly reach to gather a crumpled blanket around my ankle then trying to cover my body with hurried movement. The heat flushing on my cheeks isn't helping at all while I try to compose my voice, "What time is it?" Horrible. What kind of voice was that? Am I a frog?
"Ten past eight," he replies shortly. I can't help but sigh, feeling relief that I still have plenty of time before afternoon comes.
I hear his leisure footsteps come toward me and I can't help taking a closer look at him. Then I gulp. I gulp a stone-sized lump down my throat. Can you imagine how hard that is? I mean, how am I supposed to get myself ready seeing him in this state so early in the morning when I barely grasp my whole consciousness intact?!
Ok, let me describe it a bit. Him, this mother-fucking sly, dangerous, hot man, is walking toward me with a steaming cup of tea on his hand, only wearing a light silver sweatpants and how his upper body left bare for a full display. Kurama's tattoo flexes as he moves, his hair is messy and half-wet–I think he just took a bath not too long ago.
Naruto puts his cup on the nightstand then dipping his hands into his pocket, head tilting slightly while eyeing me with that gaze I hate so much (please note the affectionate sarcasm).
"What are you even trying to hide?" he says with a breathy laugh in the end, never putting off that smug expression from his face. "I've memorize every inch of your body, even the tiny mole on your inner thigh–"
"I need to go. I have a class." I cut his sentence as I forcefully swing my feet to the side of the bed. My tiptoes succeed to land on the cool marble floor when suddenly two strong arms land on either side of my body. He bends over, caging me from running away as he brings his face closer to mine.
The scent of fresh soap poured with his natural pheromones comes filling the air, slowly luring me to surrender and lean closer–no no snap out of it Hinata!
"Why the hurry? Your class won't start until 1 PM," he whispers.
I peek up to look right at his eyes but I avert my gaze just as fast as I land them on him. He's right, I actually still have plenty of time–wait…how could he–?
"How could you know?" I narrow my eyes, accusing.
"Just a lucky guess," he says nonchalantly.
I keep silent, not buying his excuse.
Naruto brings his hands to caress my head, then lets the gaps between his fingers comb my messy morning hair until they seem more decent for a view. "Look at how messy you are," he comments. "How cute."
"And whose doing do you think–ahemm" I can't help cutting my sentence when I feel how dry my throat is. I gulp my saliva to make it better but there's no changes at all. Wow, just how much did I scream last night? Oh, well, I don't really wanna know.
My hand reaches up to touch my neck, trying to give it some massages just in case it'd feel better. But instead of touching my neck, my hand stops midway when a bigger and warmer one grabs it then pinning it to the bed beside me.
Naruto reaches to cradle my jaw, slowly lifting my face until I face him fully then our lips meet. It took me by surprise that my eyes widened in reflex. But I don't back off. Feeling how he stays in place without making any move, I slowly let my body relax and my eyes drift shut.
My other hand moves on its own to circle around his neck, pulling him closer to bend further toward me. My heart picks up its pace. It gets louder and faster by every passing second we stay rooted in our kiss.
Naruto starts to move his lips and I, without losing a heartbeat, welcome him by opening my mouth. I shove my tongue to slip between his lips but instead of finding his tongue to welcome mine, I feel something warm and sweet flow inside my mouth, some even dripping down my chin.
I gulp it down my throat. Warm and sweet. It eases the dryness of my throat as I feel myself begging for more.
Just when did he take another sip of his tea? I wonder.
As if on cue, he fills me again; the warm tea flowing slowly through our kiss as he leans further my body almost gets laid back onto the bed if it's not for my arm hooked tightly around his neck.
"It's sweet," I whisper while licking the tea leaking from my lips. Naruto brings himself closer and licks my chin, down my throat, and stops right on the middle of my neck where the tea's trail ends.
He looks up at me, licking on his lower lips with a slight furrow on his brows as if trying to taste the dripping tea he just gathered, then saying, "Not as sweet as you, though," while tugging the corner of his lips upward, forming a satisfied smirk.
This somehow makes me shy away and oh God knows just how bad the heat surging to my cheeks. Just how red I am right now? Beats me.
As I avert my gaze to fall on his chest, somehow flustered–I hear a breathy laugh escapes his slightly parted lips. "Who are you kidding?" he pauses while lifting my chin until our gaze meets again. "Are you shy?"
"I have no reason to…" my breath hitches when he trails my face using the back of his forefinger, "...be shy…" touching me with such delicacy as if I'm made from a thin glass, "...with you…" until I finally lose it. I turn my head to the right, feeling myself cower under his gaze and gentle touch.
"Haha, look at you shying away.." he places his palm on the back of my head then lands me down gently until I finally lay back on his bed with him hovering over me. "It's funny how you seem as if you're a completely different person…from last night," he whispers just beside my ears then pulling himself back just to show me that confident smug grin again.
He silently reaches on the rim of the blanket covering my naked upper body then slowly pulls it down to unravel what lies beneath it. "Do I need to remind you again how you did it last night…?" his gaze drops to my exposed chest and stays there for a few seconds. "It was hands down mind blowing, to say the least…"
"...how you fucked yourself with my finger oh so lustfully…" he glances at me to see my flushing face, yet I still keep my mouth shut.
"...or how you begged me to fuck you, to fill your little pussy with my big, hard cock…" he smirks, "...or how you open your cute, tiny mouth so wide, shoving my cock until you choke on it…" getting more brasher, his right palm comes to grope on my breast, giving it a soft squeeze and a teasing tweak on my tits–I couldn't help biting on my lower lip to hold back my pleased sigh.
But without any notice, he moves in a wizz then lands a kiss on my lips, pauses for a while, until he finishes it with a lick. "Don't bite your lips," he demands.
I gulp.
I nod.
"Good girl."
Naruto dives in again for another kiss, both his elbows sink on the bed beside my head as he presses his body further down to my naked, flushed one. I pull my legs from dangling on the bedside until they come up, leading it up slowly then hooking them around his waist.
Our body just moves in reflex, every action is instinct-ridden, and as if they have their own brain–they proceed to shift in the right position until they click. Never leaving an unnecessary gap or spaces between us. Just like a puzzle finding the right match.
I can feel something hard grazing on my crotch when Naruto settles in between my legs. And I don't even need to think just to know what that is. Without me giving any command, my legs tighten the hook around his waist as I push my body up and down–grinding our core against each other, igniting again those delicious sensation that totally beat me to pulp last night.
My hands come to fist on his hair, our tongues still devoutly stroking against each other as we engage in our kiss–while our bodies get more excited to grind against one another with a building vigor.
His hands now are getting more bold as they start to give massages and fondle on my bare breast. He leaves my lips to go lower to my neck, licking on the deep red kiss marks he made just this very last night all the while kissing each of them–never leaving even just one untouched.
Are we…going to do it again? This early in the morning?
My body slightly shudders just when I imagine where exactly this is leading to. There's no other way or choice. Even the thought itself is enough to make my whole body excited and yearning for it again, my inner throbs, my guts flip inside out.
With the remaining strength I still manage to gather, I push him to the side until he rolls on the space beside me. I waste no time when I see the chance to take an action, thus with a swift movement, I rise up and sit right on his bulge; my knees caging him around his waist while I press my palms just beside his head.
"Oho, look what we have here?" he smirks, teasing this side of me I didn't even know I have.
My breast bounces a few times right in front of his face and I totally notice how his gaze stays rooted on them or how his adam apple bobs up and down as he gulps with that thirsty look blatantly plastered on his face.
I withdraw myself to sit straight then drag my fingers to comb through my messy hair. Whipping my hair a few times to the left and right so purposefully, I gaze down on him below me, seeing his satisfied look with that grin never leaving his lips.
I keep my hands up to play with my hair as I start to rub my hip back and forth, brushing right on his bulge underneath my crotch as I keep a leisure pace on swaying my body to give him a show.
"Fuck–" he growls. "Fuck, 'Nata, who teached you such a scandalous thing like this?"
His gaze gets more and more sharper and fierce the more I tease him, his hands now busy squeezing on my thighs as he licks on his own lips–blatantly showing that those lips are yearning to taste again with anything made of skin that belongs to mine.
Naruto looks dangerous, lowkey reminds me of a hungry predator waiting to pounce its prey on any given chance. But it makes my heart swell with pride, somehow. Seeing how he looks so tortured yet also aroused at the same time is definitely something I need to burn to my very memory.
He suddenly gropes on my asscheeks and proceeds to help me rubbing our crotch together. My eyes roll up by the intense sensation as I gape for air, letting all the dirty moans and groans spill off my mouth without any care in the world.
"Arhhhh, so–so good–!"
I feel his bulge gets more harder as I try to speed up our pace. His grope on my ass also tightens while my head is filled again with endless deja vu of that blooming sensation from my core, just waiting until it's ready to explode.
"Hi–Hinata–erghh–" he grunts. "We need to–stop–"
My eyes snap open, somehow finding it hard to believe what my ears just heard. Stop? Why–
I haven't even finished my thought when he, all of sudden, grabs my wrist and pulls me hard until I land on his chest, my breasts bounce against his hard, tattooed pecs. We heave up and down as if we were just running a marathon but it doesn't bother me at all. Because my head is awfully messy with the thought of why stop?
Naruto notices my questioning look as I lay on top of him. "We need to stop. You have class, remember?"
"So?"
"...so?" he lets out a breathy laugh. "You just asked me so?"
"You heard me."
"Ok, listen little miss. You have class this afternoon which means we gotta stop what we are doing right now. Or else you might end up skipping your schedules for the whole day. I don't wanna ruin your top student reputation, y'know?" Naruto ends his argument while gathering me tighter within his embrace. "Besides, we need to get ready. Bath, breakfast, and all."
"But we have something to take care of here," I nudge my knee right on his throbbing bulge.
"Don't worry. Let's just stay like this until it withers again."
Hearing his answer, I rise up to look at him straight in his eyes. "Listen here, big mister. Do you know how many bones we have inside our body?"
He chuckles, "What? You wanna show off that you're a med student or something?"
"No," I pause, "What I mean is, we have 206 bones in total within our body, and…" I lean in to whisper in his ears, "I definitely can handle another one." Withdrawing myself with a smirk on my face, I give a gentle squeeze on his hard cock.
"Fuck–!" He, with so much force, jumps up all the while sweeping me off from laying on top of him. He carries me bridal style and I cling onto him in reflex. He's back emitting something dangerous and hungry which somehow looks so utterly sexy and hot in my eyes.
"Where are we going?"
"Shower." He gives me a side glance and growls, "And don't blame me if there's more to come. You asked for it."
I let out a soft giggle, "With my pleasure."
I rest my head on the crook of his neck, feeling the loud thrumming of his chest against mine. My hands dangling on his back, my fingers unconsciously run to graze on the glorious ink burnt down to his broad back–tracing every line perfectly drawn there as I mutter under my breath, "Beautiful."
He doesn't let me down when he kicks the bathroom door until it whips open. Once we reach the shower, he stretches his hand to run the warm water and places me gently on the floor. My feet stagger as I try to stand on my own, lowkey blowing my mind of the fact that I am in this state just by spending a night with him. I don't blame him, though. Because it was wild–us was.
His hands are fast to catch my waist, helping me by being my anchor. "You okay?"
I give him a nod, not trusting my voice to speak while I'm too absorbed by the soreness especially around my lower body.
Then we shower. Together.
Naruto bathes me as if I'm a baby; applying the foamy soap all over my body, gently massaging those sore muscles as a result of our work out last night, then letting the warm shower rain over us as he gives me a back hug. He rocks our body together while the warm drizzle falls, he tucks his face in the base of my neck and I hear him sighing in content.
Everything feels so tender and intimate…and also steamy. Yep, I expect that much though. We go for another two rounds under the shower before he picks me up to finish with a nice soak in his jacuzzi; with cherry flavored bath bomb (which makes me realize he wasn't joking when he said he likes cherry yesterday) and some scented candles on the corner of the tub.
All the sore muscles are washed away and my body feels so refreshed and light. He puts the bath robe on me–even though I insist I can do it myself. Instead of heeding what I say, Naruto just shrugs nonchalantly and says, "One thing you need to know about me; I take care of what's mine." And just like that, I don't find it in me protest anymore.
I don't say any word as he makes me sit while he helps me with the hairdryer.
I don't say anything as he picks me up again, walking across the room back to the bed, and puts me down gently to lay there. I see his every move until he lays himself beside me, gathering me into his embrace, then sighing under my ears.
It feels so strange…yet comforting.
It feels so strange because this feeling is so foreign yet familiar at the same time, as if I'm digging back something ancient that's been abandoned for only God knows how long in the pit of my soul.
How long has it been since the last time I let somebody take care of me…like this…with so much love and affection? Jiji has been spoiling me all the time ever since I was still a kid (he still does even now), yet this feeling is–somehow–not the same.
Until something finally tugs from the back of my deepest memory then I slowly recall a word that still aches me whenever it rings in my head.
Mom.
Naruto said his mother is so dramatic just like Howl, unlike mine who might be the complete opposite of his. My mother is far from dramatic, from what I still can remember. She was loving, so gentle, her voice so soft yet she didn't talk much because she put her love more into her very action instead of words.
My mind then unbiddenly pictures how'd it be like if my mom were to meet his. Would they make such an interesting dynamic like what people call opposite attract? And it puts a smile on my face, even just the slightest, when I imagine this man in the same frame with his mother–this sexy grown-ass man being the baby self that he once was only in front of her. I bet he loves her so much he grew fond of a movie just because the main character reminds him of her.
I bring my head to snuggle closer and as if on cue, he tightens his arms around my shoulder, dragging his palm lazily to give me soft caresses on my upper arm. "I want to see your mom."
Just as fast as my words dropped, his hand halts and I feel his body, even just for a brief second, flinches. I slightly furrow my brows, I don't know why but this is not the kinda reaction I expected…? Did I just overstep the boundary?
"Why?"
His voice is so calm, it's so hard to read beneath the line whether or not there's something hiding behind it. I think he notices how I hold my answer for seconds too long because the next thing I know, he's back with his hand movements–implicitly reassuring me to let out any thoughts I have.
"Just a random thought because you said she's dramatic just like Howl."
"Dramatic, yes. And one other thing for certain, a tad bit crazy."
A breathy laugh falls from my lips upon hearing his answer then I witness the blooming smile on his lips as he sets off his gaze somewhere distant while recalling the picture of his mother inside his head.
"I think I can add two more things for sure; one, she must be so beautiful; two, you love her for only God knows how much."
He spares me a glance after hearing my sentence, "You don't even know her yet?"
"Easy," I say confidently. I bring my hand to cup his cheek before saying, "Aren't you the living evidence of her beauty?"
He just stares at me with his solemn face and I give him a small smile. "And the look on your eyes when you think of her just shows everything."
Naruto sighs with a small smile on the corner of his lip. "She sometimes makes my head hurt but I'm so protective of her. Anyone who dares make even a strand of her hair fall, I'll make sure to kill them with my own bare hands then throw their body somewhere even the sun can't touch."
Oh.
To be having someone who's willing to protect you like this. However, not gonna lie, he emitted something feral as he said those words like he's literally seething with something I couldn't know.
And what he just said suddenly reminds me again of what this man is capable of doing. Heavens know how one's fate is gonna end once they become the receiving end of his wrath. Rich people are…dangerous. And this is also the very reason why I've been hesitating this whole time.
"Enough of my mom." His voice snaps me back from my train of thoughts. "Now tell me yours."
"About what?"
"Family."
I press my lips tight, not knowing what to say or how to start telling him about my family. Among all the words available to describe what I need to say, my brain just chooses one. One word that might best represent my family. "Messy."
I see how his brows quirk before asking again, "How so?"
"I don't know. It's just like a thread with a lot of dead knots. It's been like that for years, impossible to make it right again."
"Take your time. You can tell me when you're ready."
Hearing his words somehow settles something relieving inside my chest. We let the silence dawn upon us for some minutes, drowning into our own thoughts as I ran my finger to trace Kurama on his chest (I think I've just developed a new habit here). I press my palm right above the little red cherry in the middle of his chest, feeling the comfortable heartbeat thumping under my touch.
"I had two moms. This much I think I can tell you."
"Had?"
"Uh-hum."
"Two?"
"Yep."
Naruto lifts his head slightly to look at me, confused by what I just said as his face expresses his need for an elaborate explanation.
"Two mothers; one I remember in all its clarity and one I, not at all, hold any recollection of."
He suddenly shifts to pull me off from his chest, placing me to lay on my side as he also turns to face me. He folds his right arm and rests his head on top of it as a pillow while me, tucking my pressed palms under my cheek. Now it's easier for us to talk while looking at each other's eyes because I can see how he's totally swallowed to hear what I have next.
"I don't know whether it's a good thing or not so I'm just gonna ask this, do they both love you?"
"Without a doubt."
"Then that's good. You're so lucky."
His hand comes to sweep my bang away, allowing my bare face to be seen more clearly. Our eyes meet again, staying focused on each other as I give him a curt smile. But he suddenly stops when I drop my gaze, feeling the silence slowly becomes suffocating and heavy as my memory inevitably unravels an old story.
"Was that a no?" he asks carefully, somehow understanding the room.
"Nah, I was really lucky to have two moms."
Upon hearing my answer, his lips tugs upward to form a smile. "How about your father?"
"I don't have one," I reply without losing a heartbeat. "Two moms, no dad."
Just as fast as my answer came, his smile dropped again. I hate to think just how deeper the lines on his face get by this conversation alone. Then he sighs. "You seem to have more secrets than I thought."
"I sure do," I chuckle bitterly. "Ah, I also have Jiji and Pokko." He frowns slightly when the name Pokko lands on his ears. "My grandpa and cat. Cat."
"Good."
There's a few seconds of silence until he comes again, "Hyuuga. It sounds familiar of a name."
I can't hold back my slight flinch when he says that, and his eyes are telling me something that doesn't quite sit right with me. So, instead of giving him any reply, I immediately snuggle closer and wrap my arms around his torso, pulling him closer until our bodies flush against each other in a hug.
"Did you mean it?" I ask him while hiding my face within our embrace.
"Hm?"
"Your third offer," I pause, "..dating."
He sighs and rubs my back, "Yes."
"Ah, I just remember. Jiji hates rich people."
"It's ok. I'll make sure I don't fall into the kind of rich people he hates."
"But we don't even know each other very well yet."
"Didn't I say to take our time?" he asks, quietly. "We'll make things clear between us sooner or later."
"But–"
"Shhh, no more buts."
A simple nod is all I could give him. I gulp down my saliva, moistening my lips to say my next question–the one I'm still too afraid to confront. "Can I…trust you?"
I wait.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
…four seconds and a few more too late.
I still wait.
But he doesn't reply.
The way he drags his time for seconds too long before any word from him comes makes something unpleasant creep within my chest. I slowly lift up my face and peek through my hesitant eyes, only to find him setting his gaze far off somewhere distant and…empty.
Few seconds more with that unfamiliar silence and still no words spilled as its needed. Or it's likely just to be left like this. Hanging.
Then I witness the life return to his eyes as he notices me still staring at him. Without sparing me a glance, he cups the back of my head, pulling me back until I rest against his chest.
"It's not something I can decide," he says plainly. "You'll see it yourself and I'll let you decide whether or not you can place your trust on me, and mine on you."
I give him no reply until he continues, "Let's just stay like this…even just for a short while."
In the next hour, both of us are already out driving his other only-God-knows-how-many-billion-dollar car, zipping through the road of the bustling city. He drops me straight to campus then he'd go to his office, or so he told me.
If you ask me if I still use my yesterday's clothes, then the answer is straight no. Naruto had prepared some woman clothes ready for me to wear; all brand new with the exact perfect size to fit my body (note the italic word some, because I mean it as a big, fat understatement), 'cause, duh, did he literally plan to open a new branch of department store inside his penthouse? Because that's exactly what I thought when he led me toward his walk-in closet and showed me his generous amount of stuff stored there–including mine to wear.
I close my notebook–which I brutally abandoned since my study in the library yesterday–when he pulls over in front of campus' gate. Naruto rests his head against the steering wheel as he keeps his eyes intently on me who's busy packing my stuff.
"I'll see you soon."
I stop, then my eyes search for his. "Define soon."
He chuckles, "Are you afraid I'm gonna ghost you?"
"Making sure won't hurt," I say calmly.
"Soon means soon. I'll give you a call, or you can. We need a lot of bonding time as boyfriend and girlfriend after all."
A blush suddenly creeps up my cheeks upon hearing him define us like that, "Okay." I must admit, this is my first relationship. Yes, you heard me right, first. I've got a few confessions during highschool and my college year but reality sucks. Ain't no way I can spend my time being in a relationship when I barely have time for myself from all the part time work and study.
I ain't gonna lie, this makes me a bit nervous, yet also curious. Something is constantly thrilling in the pit of my stomach yet I don't wanna be too over the clouds when it's just our starting point. No one ever knows what the future holds for us.
I take my tote bag then open the car. Turning to face him again to say goodbye, my movement halts when I suddenly find him leaning in, invading my personal space as he unbuckles my seat belt. His face hovers over mine, I can feel his warm breath fans on my face while I try my best to hold back a gulp.
"You look so gorgeous," he whispers, his lips only a few inches away from mine. "You can easily give me a heart attack with that face of yours, 'Nata."
"No worries, I'm good at CPR."
He laughs, "And I like your taste of humor, or sarcasm..?"
"Should I take that as a praise?"
Without giving me an answer, he swiftly leans in to land a kiss on my lips. It totally catches me off guard but as in reflex, soon I let my body relax and enjoy his lead in our kiss. It's gentle and not at all rushed, every stroke is slow in a comfortable pace–literally taking our time while savoring every second we have.
"How fast do you want soon to be?" he whispers between his breaths.
"I…don't know."
"Don't worry, didn't I say to take our time?" I nod. "By this weekend, I'll make sure things are clear between us."
"Why this weekend?"
"You'll see later."
Seeing that much confidence from the gleam of his eyes, I can't give him anything other than a simple nod. He leans in again for a brief peck before withdrawing himself back to his seat.
"Be good in school, baby girl." That's the last thing he says before his wheels roll down the road.
I glance at the watch circling my left wrist, perfect–I still have 35 minutes before class starts. Rummaging through my bag, I grab my notebook and decide to continue reading while going to my class. I walk leisurely, taking a bit of extra care because campus is pretty crowded with students during their lunch break.
But when I'm about to turn on the corner, my step stops when I notice a pair of white sneakers standing in front of me followed by the aroma of thick vanilla perfume.
Oh, fuck.
"Woah, who's this? I almost didn't recognize our tacky village girl."
I hear the voice of who I expected to come. I even grew sick of vanilla scent because of this girl who always has her way to annoy me. Her reason? Beats me.
"I bet she got all these glorious changes from the person who dropped her." Another voice from her pal. She always goes in packs, all three of them.
"Hahaha did you decide to be a sugar baby just to climb the social ladder, Hinata?"
I still keep my eyes in my book, I literally don't plan on wasting my energy to deal with their bullshits this early after I just arrived in campus.
"I bet. Spreading some legs would be waaaay more easier than working her ass off with part time jobs like she's always been doing."
I close my book, taking a step forward until I stand inside her personal bubble. A flat expression etched precisely on my face before I ask, "Do you know the chance of surviving if the human brain doesn't get oxygen supply for 10 minutes, Sora?"
She snorts, "Zero. A big, fat zero. Are you mocking me with that shitty question?"
I run my eyes up and down her, then my lips tugs up to form a slight smirk. "Exactly. Zero. That's also the number of flying fuck I give to your bullshit. Period."
I push through the gap between her and her friends and make my way to continue walking toward my class.
"YOU BITCH–!"
A harsh grab lands on my shoulder before I'm being pulled until my body spins around. I look at her deadpanned, my piercing gaze never leaving hers.
"Are you looking down at me, you fucker–?!"
I hold my eyes from rolling. She's not even worth the effort. "Well, duh, it's hard not to look down at you when you're shorter than me?"
I see her eyes widen and her face flushes with anger; it always feels good to see her losing it when she's the one who actually starts everything. A breathy laugh inevitably slips from my lips. The baddest bitch always gets the last laugh.
Just when she's about to say another–without a doubt–bullshit, a flash of hands come right in front of her face then followed by a loud clap of palm against palm. Sora is startled.
"I heard an annoying buzzing sound around here so I thought we've got some flies in campus," Sakura suddenly appears and walks until she stands in front of me, slowly pushing me back a little then facing Sora with an eerily deadly expression. "But it apparently just Sora and friends, huh?"
"Move from the way. It's not your business, Sakura."
"What kind of bullshit you're sputtering around Hinata this time?"
"Me? I just helped her to remember her place. Bitches don't belong here–"
"Wow, your ass must be pretty jealous of all the shits that comes from your mouth."
When I see Sora's mouth open to find another counter attack, I hurriedly grab Sakura's hand and drag her away from this place. This would go on for hours if I let them be. "C'mon. She's not even worth our time."
"Running away you bitches?!"
I hear her shouting from my back and I glance at Sakura. She catches my hint and gives me a curt nod before she brings her left arm up. I do the same with my right arm and we cross our arm together to form an x and point out our middle fingers.
And as usual, we hear their frustrated yelling and other baddie words.
We laugh.
"I told you a thousand times that I can handle her packs alone."
"Well, it's more exciting to roast them together."
Another laugh escapes my lips, "Exactly."
"So, grab something to bite after class? I owe you a treat."
"Sounds good–"
"HINATA!"
I flinch when a high-pitched voice suddenly booms all over the place. My hand reaches up to rub my ears when the owner of that voice runs like a lighting bolt toward where Sakura and I stand.
Oh I don't need to turn around just to know who she is, and shit–! I totally forgot!
"I-Ino I can explain–"
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! I'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK SINCE YOU DIDN'T GET BACK TO THE DORM LAST NIG–"
In a hurried swizz, my hand swings to close her mouth. There's no stopping when Ino is in her barbaric mode like this!
"W-WHAT? DID SOMETHING HAPPEN HINATA?!" Now Sakura. Dammit. These two can really be a handful to handle.
"Shhh–Ino, Sakura I'm totally fine–"
Ino struggles to get my hand off her mouth, "ARE YOU SURE–NO NO ARE YOU STILL INTACT–?!"
"C'MERE! LEMME CHECK–!" Sakura comes to pull my hand until I stagger on my feet. Geez, she's got such a rhino power right there!
With the stronger force I've managed to gather, I hook my arms on their neck then pull their faces closer to mine. In a calm voice, I stare deep at them consecutively while saying, "Can you both calm down first?"
They nod obediently.
"Good, I promise I'll explain."
They nod again.
I slowly pull my hand back after seeing them getting calmer. These two can be so scary sometimes, especially when they're riled up.
"I've called you so many times!" Ino says, with a deep frown on her face.
Now that Ino mentioned it, I suddenly remember my phone which Naruto tossed it somewhere after he took the call–oh shit! Shikamaru!
I unconsciously bring my hand up to massage the bridge of my nose. I hope he didn't hear anything weird last night.
"What's wrong? Did you lose your phone–" Sakura.
"Shut up forehead! Let her talk first–"
"Talk about yourself Ino-pig!"
I sigh. Here we go again. When I say handling these two can be a handful of work, I really mean it.
"Guys, please.." I say with my deep, low voice. Upon hearing my tone, they hurriedly fold their lips inside their mouth then doing that locking mouth gesture. Good thing I can tame them easier every time I use this secret mode.
So, I tell them what happened. Of course, I need to fill Sakura in first since she hasn't known about anything related to Naruto. And of course, I leave out the unnecessary details of the story, especially about our…night.
"So you accidentally sleep there after you tire yourself studying?"
"Yes."
"What about the phone?"
"Run out of battery. I forgot my charger in the book cafe." Sorry guys I lied.
A sigh of relief escapes their lips after hearing my story. Now only Shikamaru left to handle.
"But…didn't you say Naruto?" Sakura asks. She rubs on her chin as if trying to remember something.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure. I just feel like it's a familiar name," she pauses, "Anyway! Ino-pig! Why did you convince her to do such thing?! What if this Naruto guy is a shady man?!"
"Why do you blame me?!"
"Then who should? He's definitely down for something shady! Didn't you already say to him it was a one time thing, Hinata?"
"...yes?"
"But things just got out of your way which led you to inevitably come back to him! See? Isn't this too good to be a coincidence?"
A slight frown makes itself appear between my brows as the three of us are engulfed in silence.
"..'de hell, forehead? Stop imagining things!"
"Y-Yes. I think it's not what you think it is, Sakura. Besides…" I look at her in the eyes and spare a small smile, "...this is my choice to begin with. So Ino gets nothing to do with it."
She sighs. "If you think that way, then alright. But, be careful ok?"
I smile, "Always."
A beep from my watch comes as a reminder, it's time for class.
Sakura tugs my wrist and drags me to follow her toward the building of our department. "Get back to your habitat, Ino-pig! Or you wanna come designing some dress for the corpses in our autopsy room?"
Sakura sticks out her tongue, "Let's go, Hinata!"
"Fuck you forehead!"
"Sorry I'm 100% straight!"
I giggle while shaking my head upon hearing their bickers. They're so childish, I swear. Turning my head over my shoulder, I give Ino another smile before walking away. "See ya later, No!"
The days go by in slow motion, feeling how it drags itself due to the piles of books and assignments I need to work on before the exam starts. Life that used to be so stale and monotonous, tired as stolen by the weight of burden, lost is a haze as if it were too much to bear. Now, with the wonder that still lands beyond my utmost perception, I witness the world start to flicker with life again. Drops of colors start to pour from the sky just like heavens descending their blessings upon the barren land.
Then life begins to change. That very moment he entered my world. That very moment his lips pronounced my name for the first time. And that very moment we shared our breath together.
My new normal changes, as the shell enclosing me slowly gets eroded by each second we spend our days together.
Whenever class ends, I'd either go to labs, the book cafe, or Naruto's place. I'd work on assignments and study there, getting all the opportunities since he provides me literally all the books I need. I ain't even gonna think how he got his hands on these books.
We'll go eating out sometimes, or having his personal chef come over and cook for us–though most of the time he'd prefer eating my home-style cooking instead. He'd drop me to the dorm before the curfew if I'm not too tired or the day has gone too late or he fails to convince me to just sleep with him–which I try my best to resist because, duh, I might end up not getting any sleep at all. I can't blame him though, like, how on earth can I resist this man when he's the epitome of a natural charmer?
"Free you schedule this weekend," Naruto suddenly says as he plays with my hair, I lay on his lap reading a book.
"Are we going somewhere?"
"Yep. Didn't I say we'd make things clear?"
My brows furrow upon hearing his reason. "Elaborate, Sir."
"No fun spilling the beans," he replies nonchalantly. "Sleep here tonight."
I drop my book until it lands on my stomach. Looking at him right to his eyes, I catch him already staring at me with that inexplicable expression drawn on his face. As if something is bothering him deep in the back of his mind, a layer descends upon the gleams of his blue eyes, hinders me from reading him.
"Ino's gonna be mad. I already slept here yesterday."
"Ok then," he shifts on his seat, "...let's just see if you'd ever wanna leave…"
As soon as he finishes his sentence, he bends down to land a kiss on my lips. And I know full well what those words entail. Tch, this sly bastard.
My body moves on its own to hook my arm around his neck, proceeding to lift my upper body to give our kiss easier access. I maneuver to sit on his lap with my thighs resting on either side of his waist, straddling him. My hands play with the golden of his locks, pressing him gently to keep our contact from breaking even just for a brief second.
To be frankly honest, this kind of sexual intercourse really does help me with my study. Why? Simply because of the dopamine rush inside my system. It helps me to better my mood, refresh my mind, and make my whole body tingles with adrenaline. Dammit, now I sound like somebody using Naruto for my benefit.
He's hands down the best kisser I've ever known–well, I've never kissed any man before, so that explains things. The more we spend our time together, we've grown more comfortable that kissing is something we do like breathing. Yes, I could honestly say I'd literally lose my mind if I don't get my fair share of his kisses.
Naruto has memorized all my soft spots, especially when he starts to give me hickeys on my neck because I'd so easily buckle under his mercy.
Just like now.
And I really gotta stop him from going further. I have labs tomorrow for my morning class.
My hands come to cradle his head which is still busy kissing my neck then gently pushing him back. I see how the frown appears on his face just as fast as his lips leave my skin, utterly despising what I do.
I cup both his cheeks, holding him in place then leaning in to give him a peck on his lips. I pull myself back, then resting our forehead onto each other.
"Can't go any further."
His fingers come to sweep away my hair from my face, grazing softly at my flushed cheeks, before saying, "Really? When you're all red like this?"
I hold the pause for a moment to even my breathing. "Wanna hear a fun fact?"
"Hm?"
"When people blush, there's another part of our body which blushes along with our cheeks–"
"Which part? Your pussy?" he says so calmly like it wasn't at all something so unseemly to say.
"Tch," I roll my eyes, "can't you stop thinking about my pussy?"
"Nope. She's my dick's soulmate, don't you know?" he replies with his iconic smug grin. "Besides, that's one of the best parts of you. Along with your incredible breasts, you plum lips, your silky hair, your flushed cheeks–"
"Stop. You'll just list down everything."
"Exactly."
"Ok, so, when we blush, the blood will rush to our face which, interestingly, it also rushes to the lining of our stomach. That makes, when we blush, so does our tummy!"
Naruto immediately laughs after I finish my explanation. "You and your medical talks." He leans against the couch's backrest, head gazing up to the high ceiling while still heaving up and down with his breathy laugh.
I let my body follow him, resting to lay on top of him then tucking my cheek on the crook of his neck. His veins pulse under the blanket of his perfect tan skin, as a genuine smile bloom shyly on my lips, my face aglow. He's warm and alive. Alive. And so do I.
I press my lips right above the visible thumping of his veins, feeling grateful. And my mind unbiddenly veers to wonder how such a presence could matter this much in my life. Because I've tasted how lost feels like, when a body runs cold right in my embrace, and I felt so helpless with nothing in my might to stop life from draining their eyes. Until a lifetime's worth of nightmare manifests itself in the embodiment of that pale face, closed eyes, and frozen heart.
Death is always a surreal thing in life. Yet, nothing can bind a soul more than death itself.
I blink my eyes to brush away my thoughts until the fogs of those memories start to clear. I sigh.
"I still have tons of fun facts about the human body–if you're willing to hear, that is."
"Sure thing. Let's keep it one at a time," he presses his cheek on the top of my head, "...until next time."
I nod.
That's a promise.
An implicit bound of a future shared together.
"I have labs tomorrow morning," I say softly with my apologetic face.
He sighs, "Alright then, I'll drop you back."
We spend another 40 minutes cuddling before he drops me back to my dorm.
"I'll see you again tomorrow." was all he said before leaving.
But I didn't see him the next day.
And the day after.
And the day after.
The days of feeling so lost and foreign.
I've tried to call him a few times, yet none of them was answered. Until suddenly a text from him came, saying he's busy taking care of some important matters and he'd call me once things are settled.
It can't be helped. I've told myself so many times. It can't be helped.
He's a busy man, that much I should have understood. Though, not gonna lie, I'm kind of disappointed. His absence makes it clear how he's claimed a place in my heart and leaves a void when he's not around to occupy it. The waffing tendrils of those familiar void start permeating from the very core of my bones. The days are stolen in another gray haze as I just live my life like a steady cadence of a machine with just a drop of hope to hear from him again being the fuel keeping me going. How time billows and recedes, almost meaningless. Something I'm so supposedly used to but now it feels like I'm starting over again from zero.
Until it appalls me, in a sudden way, how I've begun to rely too much on his presence. How I've been willowing myself in the comfort of his affection. All the predicament I've been through in life left me starving for a comfortable life–not worrying about part time jobs, focus on studying, and having the time for the rest my body deserves. Maybe that's also the reason why I need to endeavor just to get back on my own, without him around as the anvil on my footing. Or why I've grown too fond of all the changes he gave in my life.
Then it began to scare me. It scared me like gripping anxiety slowly creeps on the pit of my stomach, leaving me in a weird feeling of discomfort.
That feeling started to watch me from the corner on the third day. It got worse and worse as the days went by, like a growing tree transfixing its root to my core.
The messages I sent him left unread.
And I still didn't hear anything from him.
The fourth went the same.
The fifth. Six. Seven. Eight.
Then the weekend he promised just goes by like it's nothing. No meaning.
And I still don't hear anything from him.
It's not until I'm in the middle of my exam week when I wrap up my things in the book cafe. The day feels so worn out and it's already a few hours past the time my shift ended. My movements are hurried, packing my books and stationeries scattered on the desk. The road starts to get lonely and the moon shines brighter hanging on the sky, just as unanimated as its blaring partner during the day.
I decided to stay after my shift to study here, weighing this choice because: one, the books and two, it's only three blocks away from my dorm. But I guess bad habits die hard, since I totally lose track of time once I drown myself into studying. If it wasn't for the beeping of my watch, I might end up staying here til the dawn breaks.
The door clacks two times when I twist the key then shove it into my backpack. My hands reach up to cover my head with the hood, before dipping them into the warmth of my jacket's pocket and hold tightly on the stun gun I alway bring for self defense purposes.
I turn around and scurry to walk, but it's only three steps away from the door, my feet stop on its track.
My body freezes in place with eyes hardly believing what I see.
There he is.
There he is.
Standing under the light post across the street, body as rigid as stone looking toward my direction, yet I can't see what kind of expression he wears as the shadows descend upon his face.
I stare at his figure along with the chilly silence filling the space separating us.
Then I gasp, only realizing I haven't been breathing.
He takes a step, then two, three, one after another–bringing himself closer to rip the distance between us.
Just when he reaches halfway to where I stand, I let my eyes drop to the paved road. The weight pushing down my eyelids doesn't give me a chance to linger on his approaching figure for a second longer. Or it's rather…I don't have the courage to. I don't know what kind of face I gotta make. It confuses me.
"Hi."
I still don't look up.
He takes another step. And I take another two backward.
"Hinata."
His hand comes into my line of vision, trying to reach my arm which I still hide inside my pocket. Then I snap my head up, gaze shooting sharp to his face.
But, just as soon as I see him, something in me drops. My breath stuck in my throat. All the building up questions I've been bottling up in my mind just fades away like they're all lies.
I still don't say anything as my hand unconsciously comes up to reach his face. It lands right beside the deep blue bruise on his jaw. Naruto flinches by the contact and I withdraw my hand in an abrupt motion, startled, hesitating.
My eyes go to seek for his but they notice another cut on his temple instead, half-dried yet it still cracks open.
Naruto grasps my hand which is still hovering over his face, then leads my palm to cradle his cheek. And he leans in, rubbing his face softly on my palm until I can feel the warmth slowly melting from this small act.
He still doesn't say anything, neither do I. Until he steps forward, our body only inches away. Naruto drops his head on my shoulder, taking a few deep breaths there, each exhale is shaky, as if he hadn't been breathing at all.
"I'm sorry."
I bit my lower lip. And my eyes drift shut. "You could've told me…any would do."
"Sorry."
I gather him in a hug, my hand rubs on his bigger back to calm him. I've just got the feeling he needs some comfort. "Let me help you with the wounds."
He nods.
We walk hand in hand to my dorm. Not even a word is heard during our quick walk. I'll wait until he opens up while also using the opportunity to sort my mind.
I tell him to wait on the bench near the building, note that bringing a man into the girl's dorm is prohibited, while I go to my room to take the first aid kit.
Naruto still sits obediently when I come back. Tending to his wounds in silence. Packing back the kit. And wait.
And wait.
"Are you mad?" His voice sounds calm and small, a new tone I haven't once heard from him.
"I'm confused." I stare at the small box on my lap plainly, "You make me question things again. And hesitate." Because you didn't tell me things. Because you keep me in the dark.
Another sigh falls from my lips and I finally turn my head to look at him. "What happened? Are you ok–ah, no. You don't." I smile bitterly.
His eyes come up to search mine. A small smile then follows. "Yes. This is what I gotta do after all."
And you still keep me in the dark even now.
The chime from my dorm booms on the sky, a reminder for all residents of 10 minutes before curfew.
"I gotta go." I take the handle of my first aid kit box and stand. Naruto follows. He doesn't protest nor try to stop me.
I wait for him, just in case he changes his mind and decides to tell me the things I deserve, yet none of them come.
So I decide to turn around and walk away.
It's on my fourth step that suddenly two strong arms come to wrap me into that familiar embrace. The warmth emitting from my back that I've been longing to feel again since this last 2 weeks.
He whispers under my ear, "Would you still grant me the prospect…to take you for dinner tomorrow?"
My answer doesn't come as immediately as I intend to. I shuffle within his embrace and turn to face him. Welcoming his hug as I wrap my arms around his torso, I give him a simple nod of approval.
He sighs in content. "Thank you."
And the night ends.
And unlike the previous promise he made, this one he doesn't break it. Proven by his arrival in the front gate of my dorm the day after. It's around 5 PM in the evening and I just finished my exam for the day. I managed to get back to my dorm and take a quick bath, then heading down after he made a call saying he's already here.
He leans on the front hood of his car, wearing a black turtleneck topped with dark gray suit. A black glasses hangs proudly on the high bridge of his nose.
I gulp down a lump on my throat. I just….want to stop my trek right then and there just to stare at this heaven-sent man in front of my eyes. I just want the world to stop so I can take all the time I want to savor each carving this man's made of.
Heavens really know what they're doing.
He peels his glasses off as a smile blooms on his face upon seeing me walking toward him. Saving our greeting with a peck on my lips then gathering me into a hug, he sighs on the crook of my neck and places a gentle kiss on the taut blanket of skin exposed.
I breathe him in. He smells so good.
"Let's go."
I don't question him as he drives us through the dimming street, only a sliver of light from the setting sun can be seen far in the horizon, blazing the sky with hues of orange and pink smeared together. Until he turns toward the direction we don't usually take when we're heading to his place, do I finally look at him, a questioning expression on my face.
"We're not heading to your place?"
"No."
A simple smile from him reassures me from asking any further. But that doesn't really last long.
"You owe me an explanation." I look at him deadpanned through the reflection of the mirror in front of me.
He'd driven us to Ginza, one of the busiest shopping districts in Tokyo, dropping off in front of a department stors, and dolled me up with a luxury dress and make up. My hair is curled up into a simple yet elegant arrangement, with a small pearly accessory pinned to secure the work. The lady in front of me is still working on the finishing touch by applying a pink blush-on on my cheek bones before she finally excuses herself with a polite bow and genuine smile, a satisfied look apparent on her face seeing the work she's just done.
After seeing the lady walk away, Naruto crosses the room toward my direction. His eyes never leaving mine through the mirror, a satisfied smile plastered devoutly on his lips. He bends over, resting both palms on the desk with me caged between his stretched out arms.
His head just lands beside mine, his cheeks grazes ethereally against my own, before landing a soft kiss on the side of my neck.
"Beautiful," he whispers while bringing his gaze up to look at me straight in the eyes.
Flatter-kissed roseate cheeks grow warm by his affectionate compliment. Though that does little to my bubbled up curiosity. This kind of look isn't made for our regular dinner date.
"Isn't this about time you tell me?"
He smiles, catching on what I'm referring to.
"I have an invitation for dinner. With some of my peers."
I gulp down a hard lump. His peers means those people coming from the same 'realm' as him. My brain has zero difficulty picturing what kind of 'dinner' I'm about to throw myself into. It's way too blatant, I was used to such thing after all.
And the thought of bringing myself into their lair prickles my skin to no end as anxiety starts to settle on the pit of my stomach, sending it lurching in utter discomfort.
"You didn't tell me."
"I did ask your permission?"
"Not this kind of dinner," my gaze drops on my fiddling fingers. "I don't think I can–"
He spins the swivel chair I'm sitting on before I could even finish my sentence.
"Hey hey, what's bothering you?"
I can feel the weight of his gaze dawning on me. Garnering zero response from me, he finally kneels down and reaches out to lift my chin, my eyes inevitably coming to engage with him again.
"I swear it wouldn't take long." He spares me a smile of reassurance. "Besides, you're with me. What's there to worry?"
His gaze softens as he gives me a gentle squeeze on my thigh. I contemplate the choices I have. This might be the last chance for me to run away–again–like how I've been doin this whole time. But the ticking seconds flow between us gives me space to think. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be as bad as how it's been haunting me. Or maybe, when I push my luck further, this night would just go as smoothly as how I hope it'd be. Maybe greeting some of his peers wouldn't cost me to the extent my anxiety conjures in my head.
The gleam in his eyes is enough to be my final push before I give him a nod of approval. His smile grows wider just soon after, then he lands a kiss that lasts a second longer before clasping our fingers together, walking out of the store.
But in the end, I still can't help the feeling of how my inside sinks upon seeing the grand entrance of The Mandarin Oriental Hotel where the dinner is held, or rather…I'd say a gala dinner. The weight of the voices inside my head pushing me down and keeping me stiff on my seat.
"Naruto…" my hand reaches for him when he shuffles on his seat ready to get off the car. His movements stop and give me his full attention. "Please…never let go of my hand."
My plea comes off as faint as a whisper. He gives me a soft smile as an answer. "Let's go."
The jostling noises of people's chatter greets us as we enter the grand hall. And just as I asked him to, Naruto still devoutly keeps his hand to hold onto mine.
Clammy fingertips sink deeper inside his grip as we walk further through the throng of people toward the small circle near the banquet table.
Naruto introduces me to these people, greetings are exchanged as formality, they seem nice as smiles not once leaving their faces. But I know…how their concealed appraisal eyes bind my every move.
It's not that blatant gawking, nor a death stare outrightly shot on me. But it's alway those stolen side glances, fake smiles, and their monologue inside their head as they make the judgements.
I hate it.
Even the smell of the air filling this whole building feels so suffocating, albeit how grandiose it stands proud above the earth. Yet I feel like drowning.
All the exchanged words they speak to each other just go through me, it's impossible to even make out the slightest point of it when my head is already full of noises. Naruto seems to notice my building anxiety because he then carefully leans in to me, "You ok–"
"Hinata?"
A hesitant yet familiar voice calls out to me.
"Sa-Sakura?"
My voice is shaky as I pronounce every syllable of her name. Until then, I finally can breathe again, feeling how something is lifted up to the air upon seeing one of my closest friends.
"Wow it's really you!" she gathers me into a small hug. "I almost can't recognize you! What are you doing here?"
When my brain still contemplates my next word, Naruto tugs on my hand–which I didn't realize when I let go of him–until he comes into the frame.
Sakura's observing eyes land on him, scanning head to toe before she looks back at me.
"Is he?"
I nod.
"Ohh! Nice to meet you, I'm Sa–"
"Dobe."
Another voice jumps into our conversation, cutting Sakura's introduction which garners him a nudge with her elbow. "Hey, manners!"
He doesn't seem to care much because his face stays flat as stone, not even a sheer hint of guilt apparent after interrupting their conversation. And what did he call Naruto? Dobe? Wow. Looks like he's born an asshole.
"Stop calling me that, Teme."
I frown, whipping my head to face Naruto with confusion on my face. You know him?
Looks like Naruto catches my wordless question because the next second, he leans to whisper in my ears. "Don't you recognize his voice?" He waits for me to connect the puzzle. "That time. You. Under my desk."
I feel a faint wave of heat come surging to my cheeks as it finally clicks. It's either from the remembrance of that shameful act I did under his desk or just something personal toward this asshole because if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have done that scandalous behavior.
Or it might be something in between.
"Is he your…?" I trail off–lowkey don't wanna jump into conclusion–as I look at Sakura, needing an explanation as to what her relationship is with him.
"Yup!" a wide smile spreads across her face then she latches her arm around his. "He's my big brother!"
"Brother my ass," he bites back while shuffling to peel Sakura off of him.
That earns him a hard swatt on his back which makes my face grimace. She's still temperamental as ever albeit the long feminine gown she's now wearing.
A simple lift on the corner of my lips forms itself when I see them start bickering (which I'm honestly not sure if bickering is the right word since it's basically only Sakura whining 100 words per minute while he just stares at her nonchalantly), somehow feeling relief knowing my precious Sakura isn't together with that asshole.
"They're neighbors," Naruto suddenly whispers to me. "Sasuke basically grew up babysitting her since her parents are so busy with work."
I make a small 'o' with my mouth when I get the information of their grounding. No wonder they seem so close.
"Another fun fact, he's been pining for her since she hit puberty but her head's just as hard as a rock. That man is miserable. Bro-Sis-zoned." Naruto finishes his information-sharing with a small chuckle and why do I feel like we're gossiping?
Nevertheless, now I feel bad for calling him an asshole.
"Just so you know, that rock head you mentioned is filled with brilliance. But I somehow understand where the rock comes from." She's so smart, yes, but she can also be slow-witted at some things. I admit.
"So…you guys know each other?" Sakura asks while bringing her gaze to drag from Naruto to Sasuke consecutively.
"We joined the same club in uni," Naruto explains.
"Ah, so you went skiing together. Naruto, was it? No wonder your name sounds kinda familiar when Hinata told me about y–aah!"
I kick on her foot to stop her blabbermouth. Sigh. She's just no different from Ino.
The rest of the dinner goes smoothly. Having Sakura by my side really helps me a lot with my anxiety. I didn't even realize when I started to loosen up and forgot all the bad thoughts filling my head.
It's really not as bad as how I thought it would.
I rummage through my purse to find my phone, deciding to give Ino a text explaining where I am now, just in case I wouldn't be able to make it back to the dorm tonight.
The host of this gala dinner is still talking on the make-up stage which I don't entirely pay heed while I'm exchanging text with Ino. Everyone gives a round applause when he finishes his speech. The noises boom into the air and permeate the whole hall, a reminder that it's finally the end of the event.
We bid goodbye to Sakura and Sasuke then blend into the flow toward the exit door. Just when I'm about to walk toward the lift, I feel a grasp on my hand, hindering me to take another step and stop.
"What's the matter?"
"I want to introduce you to someone else."
I quirk my brows because I thought that's all for tonight?
"Right now?"
Naruto only gives me a nod then leads me to the stairs leading up to one floor higher from where we are now. It's a private suite meeting room, or so the placard on the wall tells me.
He squeezes my hand once and spares me a smile before his other hand rises to grip the knob.
It's…strange. His smile was.
My brain still tries to dig deeper into his subtle change of expression, I don't even realize the door's already open for us.
He steps inside, without letting go of my hand, then I follow. The room is dim. And cold. It's not because of the AC, but it's cold. A different kind of cold that sends shivers creeps up my spine as something unpleasant grows from the pit of my guts.
His broad back covers my line of sight and I'm practically still hidden behind him from whoever he wants me to meet.
The door behind me slams shut, just as timely with the moment he moves aside, the whole room laid bare for me to see.
People, sitting in a big round table. Around 4 or 5 inside the room, I'm not really sure. Let's just leave the counting later.
My pupils dilate to adapt with the minimum light covering the room, trying to focus my gaze to observe those waiting for us.
Until…my eyes land on him.
It's him.
It's him.
It's really him.
Something in me is still hoping that my imagination just gone mad it makes my nightmare finally take a physical form.
But the fierceness of those eyes aren't meant to be just a dream. They meant to haunt me down 'til the corner of the world. Those eyes are something coming straight from the deepest hell. And the devil is really there.
There he sits, the man who holds my nightmare. The man I've been running away from in every second of my lifetime.
I feel my throat tighten shut. Dread arises, churning my stomach until I feel nauseous. My feet start to shake as if there's an earthquake just below us. I can't even bring my eyes to blink until they burn and my vision blurs. But I just stand there, stiff in pallid shock.
My whole body starts to tremble it reaches every tip of my fingers. The thrumming inside my chest is so fast, so wild, so uncontrolled that it aches; it's deafening like there's a literal drum slamming right on my ears tearing them bleeding.
My consciousness keeps yelling at me to move! Move! Run! Run as fast as you can!
But all I can feel is the infinite numbness slowly eating me whole. Everything's stolen into a vortex of running objects, smeared into a chaos, leaving me with that pair of the damned eyes.
When it gets heavier just to keep my feet from buckling, my body suddenly sways, my head spinning like madness. I push my strength to hold onto something, something, anything! I grip tighter onto the hand that's been holding me since we entered this hell. But…as if the torture isn't enough…that hand suddenly lets go of me.
Burning eyes snap to see him. And he's still there. Only one step away from me. Naruto is still there. Yet, he seems so distant. He doesn't look like the Naruto I know. His eyes don't shine, they dull. His lips don't open to ask if I'm okay, they're pressed shut and locked. His expression doesn't emit even a sheer of feeling, just a cold placid face looking back at me like a stone.
Please…never let go of my hand.
Then I realized…
He didn't give me an answer. He never gave me an answer. There was only a smile that I so confidently translated as a reassurance. But…there was never once an answer.
The hand that's been holding onto mine, is also the hand that led me back into this hell.
Hell.
It's hell.
It's still the same as before.
No matter how far I've been running away. It doesn't change. It churns my guts and I feel like throwing up.
With the sheer strength I could gather, I whip my body to spin around, grabbing the door knob like a maniac. But it doesn't open. It's locking me to burn inside this hell forever.
My hands start to punch on the door. Faster. Stronger. Punch! Punch! I don't care if they bleed. I don't care if they break into shatters. All I want is to break this damn door and run away as far as I can from this place.
Help!
Please open!
Anyone! Please open! I'm here!
My ears ring. One hand flies to cover them while the other still desperately punching on the door.
Help! I can't breathe!
My chest tightens like something is gripping my lung. Every breath feels impossible. My mouth falls open, frantically gasping for air while my eyes are burning like an ember is placed right inside my skull. Tears start flooding my vision. The darkness waving their tails like slurs slowly looming from my side, creeping on me, binding my body, eating everything into a pitch black world.
Just like that time.
Exactly like that time.
Help! Please somebody! He–help…or I…will…
Die.