Hinata keeps her head pressed to Naruto, and after a while everyone starts to leave. Whispers and hushed voices are all Hinata hears before a hand comes to her shoulder.
"Lady Hinata," calls Lord Minato, and she knows what comes.
"I am s-staying with my h-husband."
She doesn't need to look at his face to know that there is sympathy in his eyes. And she knows she doesn't want to see it for herself. It will make this all feel… real.
"We need to clean his body," he starts again. His voice measured and soft, as if he was trying to make her understand.
And Hinata does understand. They want to keep her away from what they seem to think of as a burden, but the thought of leaving Naruto now just fills her with dread. She rises, but keeps her hands on Naruto's body.
"I will c-clean him u-up."
"My lady."
"W-will you leave him h-here… or will you b-bring him to our r-room?"
She finally looks at Lord Minato, and wishes immediately after that she didn't. Sakura looked bad, but somehow Lord Minato looks worse. His burnt marks are bigger and less healed than Sakura's, but it's the way his body sags, the way his eyes seem to be filled with something Hinata has never seen before. Something Hinata didn't think she would see so soon.
Resignation.
She can't bring herself to ask anything, she can't bring herself to say anything either. And Lord Minato seems to catch onto that, as he closes his eyes with a sigh and gives her a smile Hinata hates.
He looks at his son. "We will move him to your room, my lady, I will leave him in your care, thank you very much." He gives her a bow, steals a glance at Naruto and attempts to leave.
Hinata grabs the sleeve of his kimono before she realizes she did it. "Wha-what happened?"
Lord Minato has to control his expression, and Hinata knows that is not a good sign, but she has to know. Needs to know. He looks around the room, to find no one else around aside from Sai and although a little, his mask breaks.
And Hinata is terrified.
"I…" his voice trembles and he can't seem to know where to lay his eyes. "I just shut him down."
Hinata can't understand what he seems to imply, so she presses. "L-lord Gaara…"
The name seems to strike a chord in Lord Minato, who brings his fist to his closed eyes. "I sealed him. Correctly. I had the time and his seal is comparatively easier to handle… Naruto…" he struggles with his words, drags his fist down, "we lost too much time, we tried going back to where we left you and by the time we were there we caught Naruto losing control down at the arena and the fifth tail was forming so we had to… I had to shut everything down."
Hinata lets her hand fall. It's not only the words he's saying, it's the way his voice is tinged with a desperation she has never heard before that makes her unable to talk.
"He-" Minato keeps on talking, egged on by Hinata's attitude. If he can only give her some sort of peace of mind… mend somewhat what he has done. "He will wake up," he assures, "it's just…"
Minato closes his mouth immediately, trying to control the tremble that threatens to take over him. He knows… he has known since forever that his son lives on borrowed time, that it's a fact that he will have to bury him first -going against every natural law-, he has been adamant into searching and trying whatever he stumbles upon that can give Naruto one second more, just one second...
He has deluded himself, too. 10 years, 12 years, 8 years. Numbers, only numbers he has seen and repeated and tried to turn up and around in search of lengthening them, make them disappear. 10 years, 8 years. Numbers he somehow took for granted. At least that amount of time. At least not next year, or the year after, or the next. Some time.
This was not supposed to go like this.
He is crying, so he brings his sleeve to his face, tries his best to hide this. But it's useless, he knows.
She knows.
"I have sent message to my master, Naruto's godfather," his voice trembles slightly and breaks more than he wishes, but he continues, because he needs some time alone. "He has been travelling around looking and searching for ways to help Naruto. I'm hoping… I'm hoping he will bring something useful this time."
Minato worries Hinata will keep her head down. He wants for her to keep her head down and spare him the guilt.
She doesn't look at him, but stares at the floor in front of her. No tears.
"I... understand."
⁂⁂⁂
Hinata does not move from Naruto's side. So it's only through the people who visit that she knows that Lord Gaara has awoken and is fine.
Lord Minato has taken a look at his seal, Sakura has taken a look at his body. Aside from the obvious stress of his seal being forced open, he's fine. He's fine and is currently attending a meeting with Lord Minato and Shikamaru behind closed doors.
Temari and Kankuro find their way to her room and stand behind her as she sits there, unmoving and with Naruto's hand clasped between hers.
She knows how she must look to others. Can guess what is going on through their heads, as they let silence fall all around them. If they were any other people, maybe Hinata would have let them stay there and not say anything, kept to herself.
But these are Lord Gaara's siblings. So she closes her eyes, gathers her strength.
"I am glad… Lord Gaara is all r-right."
Her words break a spell she didn't know was there. The siblings move closer and sit near Naruto's feet. They remain composed and polite and Temari brings down her head first, followed by Kankuro.
"We have already given our thanks to Lord Minato and to Sakura. If it could make anything better we would bow our heads to every single member of the clan, but Lord Shikamaru has told us to keep things under wraps as much as possible." Hinata can't look at them, so she keeps her eyes glued to the floor in front of Temari's knees. "The Sand will not forget this debt, Lady Hinata." Temari's voice is laced with such appreciation that Hinata can't ignore the obvious care they share for their brother. Which is why she feels worse for even entertaining the idea of what could have happened if Lord Minato had stayed with them in Naruto's booth.
It didn't happen.
She shouldn't feel bad for a thought. But she can't help the shame that fills her and she is only capable of whispering an answer. "I… understand."
Her reply is soft and weak and obviously not all that honest, so Temari brings her head even lower, "We will find ourselves useful, Lady Hinata, I swear."
Hinata doesn't know if it's the way she delivered her speech with such passion or if it's the fact that Hinata just can't let go of the envy instilled in her heart, but she feels unworthy of these words. "T-thank you, T-temari."
Temari looks apologetic still, and Hinata fears she will talk again. Show her resolve in some other way Hinata can't truly accept at this moment. But they say their thanks again, softer this time and leave after a couple of minutes of being silent.
Hinata is left with Naruto. His body is fine, it's his seal again that's causing problems. He will wake up, it is not a wish nor a dream, it's a fact.
What worries them is that they just don't know how he will feel or react after he's woken. Lord Minato worries the seal will weaken and that they will need to tamper with it again, after being reinforced so soon.
He also thinks the only reason the seal was able to endure this whole ordeal is because it had been reinforced just before being put to the test.
Sai sits next to her after what seems like mere minutes, but he offers her food and beverages with an attitude that pleads for her to accept, so it must be way past dinner.
It feels like no time has passed at all. Hinata has to force the food down. It feels like cotton being shoved inside her mouth, unsavory and with a weird texture, but she knows she must eat. She wants to be healthy. She wants for Naruto to wake up and see her and not worry about her.
She eats every little thing on her plate, drinks every drop of liquid on her glass, and then brings her hand to Naruto's body once again.
Lady Mito arrives in the room with a rush of wind that Hinata ignores. It's only when she comes closer and sits that Hinata steals a glance at the new guest. She bows to Lady Mito, straightens and follows as she moves to Naruto's other side.
She doesn't really know how to comfort a sad grandmother. But she tries, "Lord Minato s-said he w-will wake up."
Lady Mito sits on the floor, brings her hand to brush away Naruto's bangs with a care that's impossible to ignore.
"He w-will wake u-up."
Lady Mito looks at her with sad eyes, and Hinata realizes that her reassurance could be understood as her own wishes. Her own way of coping.
She realizes she's been repeating those words like a mantra inside her head.
She brings her eyes to Naruto's face. Clean now, but full of burnt marks Sakura has done her best to heal but can't make disappear only with her techniques. The wounds brought by the Beast will have to heal with a mixture of old fashioned nursing and healing chakra.
Lady Mito cups her grandson's cheek and Hinata fears she may want some alone time. "D-do you need to b-be alone with h-him?"
Lady Mito raises her eyes to Hinata and then gives her a tight smile. "No, don't worry, please." She doesn't miss the way Hinata's hand tightens around Naruto's or the way her shoulders relax at her words.
Lady Mito feels horrible. And seeing her grandson's wife so affected does nothing to alleviate her guilt.
There is little she could have done. There is little she can do right now. But it's not the things she can do now that plague her mind, it's what could have been.
"I'm always late when bad things happen," she whispers.
It's an afterthought. Something she never meant to say out loud. But somehow Hinata looks at her without understanding anything and Mito feels compelled to talk. To share her story in hopes of someone finally acknowledging the wrong she has done to her own family.
"When my daughter died I was, much like today, far away in a meeting," Sai stands from his spot near the door and walks out. Hinata doesn't notice. "I came back to a dead daughter and the Beast sealed inside my grandson."
She brings her lips together and realizes they're trembling. There will never be a time when the pain doesn't reach her when talking about the past. "I… we couldn't do much in fear of the seal breaking and hurting Naruto… killing Naruto, so we waited."
And waited, and waited. Year after year of her asking Minato if now they could, and if not now then maybe next year. And then the next. And then...
"Naruto was 11 when the seal settled enough for it to be tampered with." Still a child who craved hugs, still a sweet boy who had trouble with the red chakra that sometimes seeped out of him. "I wanted the Beast to be sealed within me then, got Minato's approval. I told Naruto, thinking that he would agree immediately…" maybe she should have forced it to happen. "He just looked me in the eye and said 'but it hurts, Grandma Mito, why would you want that?'"
She takes a few seconds to herself. She will not cry. This is not about her. "I just… I tried to explain to him that I could take the pain away, but he has always been quick to pick on things, and his training as Beast Tamer had already started… we thought he had to be ready… for anything. So a few days later he came to me, took my hands between his and asked me if I would die if we went through with it. I told him the truth, the fool. I should have lied. I should have…"
Lady Mito wipes away the stray tears that have fallen and despises them. Abhors them. "'The Beast is mine', he said, 'and I will not pass it to anyone ever.'"
Naruto lies there, hurt and unconscious and she sits there beside him doing nothing. Able to do nothing. Like always.
"I begged, kneeled and prostrated myself before him, but he didn't budge. If anything, he became more stubborn… if only I could do something for him…"
Lady Mito's voice breaks and Hinata can feel the tears falling down her face. What wouldn't she give for Naruto to be freed from this. And now, right now, when she is burdened by his absence and the pain the situation inflicts on her, with the laments of his own grandmother right in front of her, Hinata can feel frustration rising inside.
"You are his g-grandmother," she whispers. It's an accusation and a justification both at once, and Hinata inhales sharply the moment she finishes what she said, realizing she's letting her emotions get the better of her.
It seems at first that her words weren't heard, thank heavens, and they sit in silence. But then Lady Mito sits straighter, serious, "It's because I am his grandmother," she whispers. And Hinata has to bite down her lower lip to keep herself from losing her composure.
Hinata remembers Naruto's hand on her face, his breath washing over her as he just told her, matter of fact, 'she's my grandma. I love her.'
So simple, and so unfair.
He will never give the Beast to his grandmother. Hinata squeezes his hand and hopes for him to wake up soon.
She misses him.
Nextttt chapter someone we left a while ago will come back!
Have a great one, take care of yourselves and see you next week!
(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)