***WARNINGS AND NOTES***

Remember in the beginning when I warned you guys about possibly triggering content? This is it. Please remember that in this story, Hinata was mauled by a lion. In this chapter she finally tells Naruto what happened, but only because he tried to initiate sex in a playful way and accidentally causes her to relive the experience. It's not rape or sexual attack. Naruto meant no harm whatsoever and Hinata was just as willing and eager for the sex but didn't realize that she would be triggered. There will be descriptions of the animal attack, but I didn't go into really gruesome details—I think. (If you guys have read my other story Duty, the descriptions are treated in the same vein: vivid enough so you guys feel it, but not too explicit that you'll be turned off by the details.) This scene happens right after they get back to the hotel from visiting his family.

Chapter 22: Chromatic Aberration

Nagasaki, The Lantern Festival

A few days later, on a quiet Sunday morning, Naruto delivered his father's car back to his parents' home. He rode up the elevator, chatted with Raido and Iwashi, and entered the house.

In the entranceway, as he was taking off his shoes, he heard his father's exasperated groan.

"What?! That was a very ill-advised move, Habu-san! He's going to trounce you in a few plays!"

In the background, Naruto could hear the television was on, the announcers and casters were just as animated, their voices exclaiming and analyzing the game play.

Ah, that's right.

Today was the long-awaited title match between the young shogi phenom Sota Fujii and the veteran Yoshiharu Habu.

He walked into the living room and saw his father with his eyes glued to the screen.

"Dad, I had the car cle—"

"Shh!" Minato hissed without looking at his son. His eyes were still on the television, but his hands were clasped together in prayer. "Fujii's about to make his move!"

Naruto chuckled softly and gave up because he knew he wasn't going to be able to crack his father's focus on the match. Even though shogi matches were quiet games of strategy, the televised events always drove its dedicated fans insane with passion.

He walked into the kitchen instead and almost ran into his mom.

"Oh! This is a surprise!" she called out.

She was rubbing her eyes, dressed in her comfy lounge wear. She'd just gotten up when she heard him.

"Good morning, Mom," he said as he gave her a hug. "Yeah, I decided to return the car earlier than planned."

She smiled at him. "I'm glad I saw you today."

"Did you guys have breakfast?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Okay, I didn't either, but I'll make us something."

They walked into the kitchen and his mother opened up the fridge and took out a few items from inside.

"What did you really want to come talk to us about?" she asked while she watched as he reached for Minato's waist apron hanging on the wall and wrapped it around himself.

He glanced at her, a smile on his face. "I actually wanted to talk to Dad. Since I'm going to Nagasaki for the contest, I wondered if it's okay I go visit everyone?"

From the living room, he heard his father call out, "You silly nincompoop! Of course they'd love to see you!"

"Hinata, you're looking nice and p-perky this morning…"

But Jiraiya's greeting trailed off, his eyes were filled with unshed tears as he gazed at Hinata, who was walking into the building wearing a beautiful purple blouse borrowed from Hanabi—her neck and collarbone exposed because she'd left the top two unbuttoned underneath the black cardigan she wore.

Hinata's smile beamed at him with joy, and she couldn't help the nervous flutter of her fingertips over her unusual outfit this day.

She was glad. Jiraiya's reaction was a balm to her soul. Naruto, who was definitely biased in her favor, remained unswerving in his devotion to her, and because of that, Hinata decided that she would use the momentum she'd gained from her weekend in Karuizawa to propel her transformation. This morning, Hanabi had assured her that it was going to be good. And even if it was slow, it was still worth it to go through the healing process—outfit by outfit.

She shuddered. Hanabi had even threatened to drag her shopping.

But Hinata was glad of the support she was getting from her sister and her family. Her father had complimented her this morning over breakfast, something that always warmed her heart. Meanwhile, Neji tried to play it cool, snorting, "It's a step up from those damned Orochimaru concert t-shirts, for sure."

If this was the reaction she was going to get from everyone, then she would be okay once she stepped out of her comfort zones and roamed the city streets of Tokyo in earnest.

Jiraiya kept smiling at her, sniffled, and then swiped at the tears that had spilled over his cheeks. There was so much pride and happiness in his eyes.

Filled with affection, Hinata shaded her eyes and drew back, exclaiming, "Ero-jiji, that combo of electric green and shocking pink is blinding! Warn me next time so I can bring my sunglasses, okay?"

Glad to get back to their usual shit-talking routine, a laugh burst out of him as he ran a hand on his favorite shirt and came back with, "Come on, girl. You're just jealous you don't own one of these vintage beauties!"

"More like vintage monstrosities!" she responded with a laugh as she headed for the elevator.

His answering chuckle was still ringing in her ears when she walked into her studio.

Kiba was rushing around, grumbling, but he stopped and gave her a slow once-over, his glance taking in her non-turtleneck outfit and her exposed scars.

"Finally!" he said with a genuine smile of happiness.

She sighed with relief.

Yup. Today was going to be a good day.

And the day was capped off when she got a phone call from Naruto that night.

"Remember when we talked about Nagasaki, Hinata?"

Oh, shit. She totally forgot to make the reservations for that. Her heart started pounding. Kiba was going to kill her, she knew.

But her panic eased when Naruto said, "I've got the website open on my computer right now. I'm booking my plane tickets and my hotel." He cleared his throat. "Do you want to stay with me? I'll make the reservation for both of us."

She sat up on her bed. "Like go together? Sit together in the plane and stay in the same room and everything?"

He hesitated before he replied. "Yes."

"Oh." There was a beat of silence.

Still anxious, he rushed to assure her. "I promise I won't interfere in your work process. You can do whatever you wa—"

"Naruto, I know you won't. And I promise to do the same thing for you, too."

She could hear the smile in his voice when he responded, "So that's a yes?"

"It is."

"Okay, sounds like a plan."

They met each other at the airport. He arrived early and only breathed a sigh of relief when she finally rushed into the terminal, but they only had fifteen minutes before their flight was due to take off.

"Sorry!" she yelled as she ran. "I overslept!"

"It's fine," he answered her, tamping down his panic. Luckily, they made it through to security and the check-in gates, helped along by the ever-efficient ground staff.

Naruto helped her settle into the narrower economy class seats of their low cost airline—in deference to her wishes to save money because she had to write the trip off as a necessary business expense. He normally traveled in comfort, but knowing her financial situation, he acquiesced to her wishes.

After making sure their bags and expensive equipment were stored securely in the overhead compartment, he finally slid into the seat next to her and was rewarded by her happy sigh and exuberant hug. Then the best part was seeing the smile that shone brightly with her excitement.

"I can't wait to get there!"

Hinata then looked around furtively, saw that their fellow passengers were mostly sleepy-eyed men on business trips, and finally gave in to her wish to kiss him on the mouth, knowing the others wouldn't care. Red in the face but smiling, he responded.

When they were up in the air and after they'd both gotten their hot coffee from the flight attendant, Hinata pulled down the table tray and took out her phone. She then began her process, scrolling through the Nagasaki festival's site, and describing to him her plan of attack on how she was going to capture her photos.

"I'm going to focus on the dragon dance and the acrobats at the planned show. I definitely want action shots," she said, uncaring that she was divulging her tactics to him.

"Yeah," he responded. "I'm wondering about how the weather might affect the lighting at the events…"

Naruto preferred to work alone, but he discovered that there was a lot of joy in talking shop with a fellow photographer. He finally got the chance to ask her about her techniques, the way she was able to achieve the effect she wanted when she conveyed the power of her subjects.

"No, I don't really edit my photos much." She shook her head. "It's hard to describe. I work on instinct, maybe. There's usually that point when you can anticipate the shot, that burst of activity, and then I just keep my finger on the shutter button."

Hinata asked about his, and they compared notes about different types of cameras and lenses, editing software, developing processes. They continued their animated discussion all throughout the two-hour flight.

And Naruto realized how much life seemed to be better when you had a passionate partner to share things with—even something as mundane as work.

They checked in to a budget hotel in the city center, again a step down from his usual custom, but he didn't mind. He strode over to the twin bed and sat on it, bounced on it a couple of times. Naruto grinned at her when she'd caught him in the act, and she laughed.

"Hey! Focus, please. We're here in Nagasaki to work!"

"I just had to make sure that the mattress is okay so that we're going to get proper rest tonight," he responded demurely. "All for work, of course."

"Liar!" she yelled before jumping on top of him and toppling him back on the bed, and his grunt of surprise was swallowed up by their shared laughter.

Still on top of him, she leaned up on her elbows and glanced down at him. "Well? How's the mattress?"

His hands were slowly sliding up her back. His smile was teasing. "I'm not sure. I need to do more testing. I think my investigation is incomplete…"

The Nagasaki Lantern Festival, unlike the other major festivals in Japan, was fairly new, officially established only in 1994. However, its roots came from the Chinese community that settled in the city centuries before. The parade route was meant to commemorate the journey that the original traders had undertaken when they first came to Japan.

When they finally got to the festival grounds in Chinatown, Hinata and Naruto were greeted by the bright and colorful lanterns that criss-crossed over the city streets and decorated the store fronts. The drums and gongs played a cheerful rhythm in the background. There were large paper lanterns that represented various figures from Chinese mythology as well.

They worked together but remained independent. While Hinata was off following whatever caught her fancy, Naruto remained in one spot to make sure he could photograph still shots. He focused on the visitors who wandered into the festival grounds, the workers who manned the stalls, the families gazing at displays. Since Hinata's specialty was action shots, she had to move in order to make sure she could capture the perfect angle, or the suggestion of movement as she followed the acrobats, the dancers, the people responsible for making the lanterns as they made sure the lights were working.

But after a few minutes of being separated, they'd usually check in with each other, showing each other the shots they'd taken.

Naruto, though, realized that his concentration was shot. Hinata, who'd never hid her laser-focused dedication to winning this competition, had the obvious upper hand. She was in her element. Whenever something interesting deserved a photo, she would stay with the subjects until she was satisfied with her shots. Then she would move on to the next object that caught her attention.

When he'd first suggested it to her, he'd originally thought them working together was a good idea. But now, he'd given up. He simply couldn't take his eyes off her and found himself taking pictures of her while she was in her natural environment. Instead of photographing other festival attendants, he found himself observing her instead, snapping photos while she interacted with everyone.

But he eventually shook his head and forced himself to take angle shots and close-ups of acrobats and the beautifully-crafted lanterns.

Of course, as the day wore on, the highlight of the festival was the dragon dance, and they were both entranced as they alternated between watching the performers and taking shots of the red-gold dragon slithering on the stage, its smooth, graceful movements guided by the rhythmic melody and perfectly controlled by crafters who held it aloft over their heads.

When they were finally done with work, Naruto and Hinata walked, hand-in-hand, back to the hotel.

"No offense, Naruto, but I really think I'm going to win this." She was grinning at him, her voice was filled with satisfaction.

Recalling the shots she'd shown him this day, he wouldn't be surprised if she did.

And deep in his heart, he realized that he didn't mind it at all if she really did become the next imperial photographer. He'd be just as happy supporting her and being by her side.

Still, he wasn't prepared to throw in the towel just yet. "We're just going to have to wait and see. You never know, I could surprise you and win everything."

Her only response was her cheeky smile. "Don't bet on it!"

That night, when they were getting ready for bed, Naruto watched as Hinata blow dried her long hair, but she was too impatient to do a thorough job and left it still a little wet.

She sighed. "I'm thinking of cutting it off again."

He remembered her press badge and the short bob she'd had in the picture. "I think it'll look good whatever you do."

She laughed and joined him on the bed, both of them wearing matching young Jiraiya Jinchurickies t-shirts. She'd packed hers because it was what she always did, he'd brought his along knowing that fact, and he was rewarded by the smile she pressed into his chest.

Hinata hugged him now. "You're sweet for saying that. But long hair is a pain in the ass! I had to cut it off when I started working overseas. They warned me that long hair, especially in a braid, made me an easy target because it looks like an animal tail when viewed from behind."

They were lying on the bed and he played with the long strands that rested over his shirt. "So that's why you had to cut it."

"Yeah." She yawned. "I thought maybe keeping it short was best. Plus, my hair got caught a lot in the bushes and plants where I'd hidden when I'd be waiting for the animals."

They were silent for a while. Then in a voice filled with determination, Hinata finally admitted, "But after my lion attack, I decided to grow it back. It was my way of tempting fate, kinda. Like I was saying fuck you to my injuries, that I'm not going to let my accident beat and define me. You know what I mean?"

He nodded, his fingers still combing through her beautiful hair. "I do."

They fell asleep, entangled.

The next afternoon, after photographing the event, they left the festival grounds, dropped off their equipment at the hotel, and took the train south to Nagasaki's city outskirts to visit Naruto's family. Minato had called ahead and warned them that the long-lost prodigal cousin/nephew was in the city, plus a girlfriend.

His Aunt Yugito, one of his father's cousins, met them at the station with a loud squeal and clapped him on the shoulder before grabbing him for a big hug.

"Naruto-kun, jaan!"

She folded Hinata in a hug, too. Then it was a blur as they were whisked off in a car smaller than a bathroom, with him and Hinata squished in the back while his aunt rattled on in her Nagasaki-ben, which took Naruto a few minutes to get used to. His father avoided speaking in his southern dialect as much as possible because he claimed it would make him even weirder than usual.

"Nagasaki-ben and intonation adds a different flavor to vocabulary," Dad had explained wryly.

When they finally spilled out of the car and arrived at his aunt's house, the family came and he was enveloped in hugs and cries of "Hisashiburi yarou!"

Naruto hadn't been here in forever, but they acted like he'd never left. He had trouble remembering who was who, it had been a while since his last visit, but no doubt about it, it felt very much like a homecoming.

Grandpa Roshi, graying beard majestic and shoulders in his perpetual hunch, was walking up to him with his dog Kurama, a lively little orange-colored shiba breed.

Uncle Han, Auntie Yugito's husband, a cigarette clamped over his lips, brawny arms exposed in a sleeveless shirt, came up and shook his hand in a powerful grip.

Other cousins he hadn't seen came out to meet him, too. Fuu, he remembered when she was still a shy grade-schooler, was now in college. Utakata, a couple of years younger than Naruto, had been a postman before but was now following his dream as a fully employed musician who played the sax. Yagura, a shy bookworm, was showing signs that he was going to be like Minato in the future. Everyone had hopes that after high school, he was going to be the second one in the family to go to TouDai.

They'd been young children and babies the last time Naruto had seen them, but not any more. Auntie Yugito's kids, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, were now in school. Yahiko and Konan were still in kindergarten and elementary school, with the serious, solemn Nagato soon to be in middle school. Eight-year-old Konan shyly held his hand while Yahiko had instantly fallen in love with Hinata and declared her to be his girlfriend, exclaiming, "I'm going to marry you when I grow up!"

Hinata recognized a kindred spirit in the child and laughed in response. She picked up the four-year-old and hugged him. "Yahiko, you're the first one to ever propose to me, so I'll wait for you. Come find me in Tokyo when you're older, okay?"

This caused Naruto's relatives to guffaw and offered him some good-natured ribbing.

"Yo, Yahiko's leaving you in the dust, man! You better put a ring on her soon!"

Which had Naruto stammering excuses and glancing guiltily at her.

Hinata, though, was busy and didn't hear him. Grandpa Roshi was proudly showing off Kurama and the many pet tricks he could do. Hinata's love for animals fully engrossed her, thoughts of marriage were far from her mind as she watched the intelligent puppy wag its tail and put its paw out on the old man's commands.

In the middle of the chaos, while they were eating yakiniku outside, Hinata leaned over and grinned at him. "I never imagined you had this side of your family!"

They were sitting next to each other so he whispered, "Yeah, I've just been so busy with work, it's hard to make time to come down to Kyushu."

Yugito heard him and she elbowed him on the side. "It's fine! This is how big families are. Don't you worry your head about it. We know you've got stuff to do in the big city, but you're always welcome any time."

Naruto smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Auntie."

"Umakaaa," Han crooned loudly, praising the mouth-watering slice of perfectly grilled beef that he lifted up for inspection. He then grabbed a whole bunch off the barbecue and placed them on everyone's plates.

And since Minato's hometown was a tight-knit fishing town, the news that his son was in the area spread to his acquaintances, too. They showed up, adding more confusion and zany fun to the mix.

Quiet Yagura was actually the first one to notice and point out the rowdy crowd slowly approaching the yard.

"Oh, look! Uncle Kakuzu, Zetsu, and Hidan are here," he said.

Han squinted first in the direction Yagura pointed to, and then his face broke out in a grin. The night was pierced by his shrill whistle. "Oy, you guys are late! Hurry your ass up!"

They were already tipsy, but they had brought in an expensive haul from today's fishing: fresh octopus, lobster, prawns, mackerel, and finally, sea bream.

Over beer, sake, seafood, and more yakiniku, Minato's family welcomed Hinata into their bosom.

When everyone got close to being dangerously stuffed and sloshed, Fuu suddenly interrupted. "Hey! Are you guys staying for the fireworks?"

Hinata and Naruto exchanged puzzled glances. He looked back at Fuu and answered, "Oh, but there aren't any fireworks in the Lantern festival?"

Fuu shook her head. "No, this is local. For our town, not the city."

Hinata was interested. "I'd love to! It would be nice if we had yukatas, though. I haven't worn one in ages." She smiled at everyone. "I think the last time was in high school. But I didn't know there were local fireworks so we didn't bring any for this trip."

"What are you talking about?! Of course, you do," Yugito answered with a grin. "We have tons, for you and Naruto. Let's all go tonight! Yeah?" She looked at Naruto.

He nodded because of course, they couldn't say no.

They cleaned up dinner and all got changed into their yukatas. With the older crowd in various states of tipsy and the younger ones giddy, they all walked to the harbor where the fireworks were being held. They found a spot on a grassy knoll where they could see clearly. Everyone clapped when the first few bursts lit up the night sky with color, a combination of pink and green in the shape of a flower.

But then Utakata was passing a balloon to Hinata. She looked at him, her face puzzled. "Thank you but maybe you should give this Konan?"

He laughed. "No, this is for you. The kids already have their own. Place the balloon on your tummy when the fireworks come on. It enhances the experience."

It did. The balloon was a good sounding board, absorbing the vibrations in the air, and as it was pressed against her stomach, Hinata felt the reverberations more deeply, the sound more thunderous than normal.

Naruto was watching her, a smile on his face. "Does it work?"

"Yup," she answered, her mouth a wide slash of joy across her face, her eyes round with amazement. She grabbed his hand and placed it on top of the balloon, her hand covering his.

He did feel it. As the fireworks continued to pepper the sky with rapid explosions of light, the balloon beneath his hand made the sound and experience come alive even more.

But something else was making him feel flustered.

This felt terribly intimate and very suggestive. He could clearly see Hinata like this, in the future, with her belly distended, not with a balloon, but a child growing inside her, maybe his hand curled like this over that precious life.

He looked at his cousins, his aunt, his grandfather, their upturned faces towards the colorful burst of lights in the sky.

Family.

With Hinata.

Simply, she fit.

He could see now what his mom meant, about Hinata's appeal, the way she could easily disarm people, the way she just seemed like a part of the family, especially his father's. Maybe she would stand out like a sore thumb with his Uzumaki and Senju relatives, but he knew they wouldn't be able to rattle her with their attitudes. Hinata was just as tough and spunky as his mom, and he knew they would eventually learn to love her.

His internal revelations were abruptly disrupted by a childish voice.

"I'm tired!" Yahiko suddenly declared, and because he simply didn't give a shit, laid down on the grass while he watched the fireworks.

Hinata, recognizing how much Yahiko was making sense to lay back and relax while watching the show, followed his example. Naruto's hand fell away from the balloon, which she kept pressed to her tummy as she smiled up at the sky. He watched the lights of the fireworks play across her face and her eyes.

Eventually, all the adults did the same thing, and Naruto didn't want to be the only one left standing so he found a place next to her. Still shy to be showing affection so openly towards Hinata while his family was around him, his hand inched slowly towards hers, one of which was lying on the glass.

He then turned his eyes above, his gaze captured by the explosion of fireworks across the Nagasaki sky, but eventually, he felt her reach for his hand and squeezed his gently.

His family had insisted on them staying at Grandpa Roshi's for the night, but they eventually capitulated when they explained they still had to work the following day. Long, tearful good-byes were said, and a promise of visiting much more frequently allowed them to finally head back to their hotel.

They got to the room, but Hinata was trying to smother her yawn, her exhaustion finally catching up to her.

"Man, this was such an interesting night. I love your dad's family!"

Her grin matched his.

"I do, too. I'd forgotten how crazy they are."

She then pointed to her borrowed yukata. "I think it's been a while since I've gone to watch the fireworks. You know, not as a photographer working, but as a normal couple, like lovers."

Lovers…

"You're right, Hinata." He reached up and caressed her cheek.

She smiled at him, her mouth tilting up into that seductive curve. "You read my mind, Naruto!"

Hinata reached up and with him still watching her, unhurriedly took off the obi of her yukata. Then she turned around, threw him a teasing glance over her shoulder and slowly walked towards the room, leaving bits of clothing in her wake.

He laughed in response and quickly shed his own yukata and followed her inside until they were both standing facing each other in only their underwear.

Filled with a burst of spontaneity he didn't realize he had and had kept hidden until she'd come into his life, Naruto suddenly picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, which had her shrieking with surprised laughter even as he carried her to the bed.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" she cried.

"Loving you," he replied as he plopped her on the mattress, where she landed in the middle and opened her arms wide, her face adorned with her whimsical, welcoming smile.

Still caught in that playful mood, Naruto pounced on her.

Hinata, though, was suddenly seized in a swift rush of panic and fear.

Triggered by his weight abruptly settling on top of her, Hinata's memories were unleashed.

She left Nagasaki; the hotel room faded.

Hinata was back in Tanzania, and she was re-living the terror of her attack.

She could hear the stark silence in the field because she hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings, caught up with the beauty of the plains. But the eerie silence was suddenly broken by the rustle of dried grass that had made her look up to see the lioness, its eyes gold and gleaming bearing down on her with a speed she couldn't comprehend. Forgetting all the warnings she'd been given before she'd began her photography expedition in Africa, Hinata panicked and ran.

Escape, not wanting to get hurt. It was all she could think of as she was in the hazy grip of reality mixing with her memories.

Her breathing came in short, rapid gasps, she tried to push him off, kicking, flailing her arms to ward off the attack. A scream of terror left her, but she was mindless with confusion and hysteria, couldn't distinguish between Naruto and the beast, when all 300 pounds of pure animal strength had slammed her to the ground, causing her to black out that day.

But then she became conscious again, abruptly brought back from the haven of dark oblivion when the white-hot searing pain of razor-sharp jaws sank into her shoulder, pierced her skin, and broke her bones. She could feel the heat of the lion's breath wafting over her skin, her neck, smell the musky odor of its sweat and fur, and finally, the recognition that the metallic, tangy scent was that of her own blood.

And then, the sound she would never forget, the sound of gunshots, two in rapid succession fired into the air, the crack of it echoing into the vast open plain of the Serengeti, and finally the taut body above her suddenly slackened, fell in a heavy heap atop her.

All Hinata felt was terror, and she kept pushing and pushing, trying to get the weight off her, gasping, crying, fighting the lion, fighting for her life.

"Hinata!"

But then suddenly she heard Naruto's voice. It cut through the fear, and she blinked, saw his face above her, pale, scared, and anxious.

"Hinata! Oh, god. I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

"Naruto?" She reached out a hand and placed it on his cheek.

He breathed out harshly. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I think I'm fine."

"I don't want to set you off again. I'm so scared to hold you, but I really want to hug you right now. Can you handle that?"

She suspected that he needed the hug more than she did so she unhesitatingly opened her arms despite feeling unsure.

She was glad she felt fine when he crushed her once more in his arms, but still careful to keep his weight off her body.

"Oh, god, Hinata!" he murmured into her hair, but not before she saw the unshed tears in his eyes before he clutched her to him.

She was calmer now, finally able to breathe, but still very much unsure of what had happened. This was the first time anything like this had happened, she'd always been fine and to have this happen suddenly was surprising.

But she could feel his heart pounding against hers, and she suddenly felt guilty because he was probably feeling really bad.

"This isn't your fault. I didn't know this was ever going to happen."

He was shaking, he could only nod in response, but he held her, and she was grateful for that warm solid support he was offering.

"I want to talk about it. Would you mind listening?"

He looked at her and she was glad the tears had disappeared, but he was so solemn, it broke her heart.

"Of course not, Hinata. I think you need to talk about it."

She nodded. "But please don't think too badly of me okay?"

"The first mistake I made was getting out of the truck."

It was in the afternoon, and after sitting in the truck for hours, her body ached from the pattern of constant stopping and going. They were still trying to find the animals. She already had pictures of elephants and giraffes, and even a majestic rhinoceros, but the perfect shot of lions still eluded her. Technically, though, the one she'd gotten a couple days ago was good, but she just wanted something better.

Today, she'd gone off on her own with the expedition team while Shino had stayed behind in the facility's lab to do more research there. He'd joined her when he realized that his research coincided with this current photography project. Sarutobi, of course, had sponsored their second joint-trip to Tanzania.

It had rained the previous day, so parts of the trails were muddy, which had caused this current predicament when the wheels of their trucks got mired in the messy sludge. The drivers and the rest of the expedition team had gotten out of the truck to work on getting it unstuck, but the progress was slow.

Hinata was supposed to stay inside because she could still photograph from the open windows with its safety bars wrapped around the truck for protection. But she became bored just watching them and was tired from sitting all day in the truck. She just wanted the chance to stretch her legs.

They always traveled in a small caravan of two or three trucks. Her truck consisted of the wildlife preserve worker and the local guides, the other trucks were for the hunters who constantly patrolled the area for poachers. Hinata watched as they hitched the trucks together with thick cables. They'd pulled out the gloves from their pockets, and had shooed her away, rebuffing her attempts to help them. She looked at their bulging muscles and knew her scrawny arms wouldn't do much good. She would be more of a hindrance.

"Don't wander too far," the lead hunter had said.

She hadn't.

Or, she thought she hadn't, but they would later tell her that she had.

While stretching her arms, a skittish gazelle had caught her attention and she'd immediately reached for the camera slung across her neck. Hinata quietly followed it, not realizing that her drive to capture it had placed her a far distance from the trucks. She'd been taking pictures, too focused trying to balance her close-ups with her wide-angle shots that she'd hardly paid attention to where she was. She'd looked up, suddenly realizing that it was too quiet, that she couldn't hear the men working, couldn't hear the grind of the engines as they attempted to pull the Land Rover out of the mud.

She didn't hear any of that, but sudden fear disoriented her, and she looked around in panic when she realized she didn't know where she was. But the grass slithered, exposing a flash of beige.

Lion.

The warning to not make sudden moves to exacerbate the situation disappeared from her mind.

"The second mistake I made was I ran when I realized what was happening. It was stupid. I should've stayed still because it was just a lone scouting lioness, it would have gone away eventually."

But Hinata's nature, her personality, didn't lend her to calm, rational thinking. Acting on pure instinct and overwhelming terror, she turned around, showed her back to the animal and ran, desperate to find her way back to the trucks.

Her last look back had been futile because the lion was almost on top of her. She'd tripped, causing her to shriek in surprise. She would later learn that her scream was what saved her, had alerted the concerned men who'd come looking for her when she'd disappeared.

When the lion had pounced at her, she'd been facing it and had been knocked back to the ground, but it had bit into her shoulder already. The two shots fired into the air from the hunter's rifle were a warning, but the lion hadn't wavered. Mercifully, the tranquilizers that had been simultaneously fired into the lion's body finally took its effect, causing the beast to stop its attack midway and fall heavily on top of Hinata.

Naruto held her while she cried.

"I almost got the lion killed. And not only that, I endangered everyone on that expedition."

He rubbed her back soothingly, feeling her pain, her guilt.

"And because of my mistake, Hiruzen had to make a donation to the foundation that ran the wildlife preserve."

Hiruzen had also flown her family to Africa and together with Shino, had held a steady vigil by her hospital bed while she recovered from her injuries. When she'd gone back to Japan, she could barely show her face to Hiruzen.

"But he never blamed me even though it was my fault." She swiped at her eyes in frustration. "He blamed himself for encouraging me to go."

Hinata cried again, causing her to tremble as the guilt crashed over her once more.

"So there. This is the worst part of me. I was so stupid and reckless and just so fucking dumb for that mistake."

She shuddered on a deep breath, causing him to hug her more fiercely. "It was an accident," he said, trying to keep his tone soothing even though he was just as shaken as her.

She remained quiet and held on to him.

He sighed. "Hinata, I'm just sorry I caused you to experience it all over again."

Hinata looked up into his face, and belatedly realized that he was just as shell-shocked as she was. He looked terrible, his eyes shadowed by his own guilt for causing this.

"Oh, Naruto! I'm sorry. It's not your fault! Please don't feel guilty!"

He wasn't able to control the tremor that shook him. "Hinata, I never meant to make you go through this again."

"I know."

She clung to him, and his grip on her tightened even as he kept whispering, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

But her whispered words to assuage him of the guilt fell on deaf ears.

Hinata eventually settled in to rest, her body and spirit tired from reliving her experience.

Naruto couldn't find peace so he continued to watch her and was glad when her deep breathing caused her to finally sink into sleep. He prayed that tonight, she would be able to recover even if it was just for a little bit.

It all made sense now, why she badly wanted to win this competition, why she was so focused on winning.

This was her chance at redemption, to show to the world that she was capable of doing, that she was determined to erase that mistake from her past.

He shuddered with guilt one more time, cursing himself for not realizing she could be triggered, for completely ignoring the fact that she'd gone through a horrific and traumatizing experience, for forgetting that she might have buried such a painful experience. He should have known, but he had inadvertently triggered it, and it was enough to send him spinning into despair that he'd caused her so much pain.

He must have made a move because he felt her shift in sleep and then sigh. Her hand tightened on his shirt, patted him on the chest, and she sleepily mumbled, "Not your fault."

She didn't open her eyes, so he continued to rub her soothingly on the back.

Maybe not.

But that still didn't mean he didn't feel bad about it.

On their way back to Tokyo, they were subdued. The flight back was quieter than the flight to Nagasaki. In between trying to reassure Naruto that he shouldn't feel bad and forcing herself to be cheerful for his sake, Hinata succeeded in making him forget about the incident. He even managed to smile at her a couple times. Despite that, though, she knew that he was falling back on his habit of overthinking things.

She drummed up excitement for the photos they were going to send in to the imperial committee.

"After all these months, the last one!" she said with a wistful sigh. She was checking the photos in her camera, already deciding which ones she was sure was going to get her through to the top twenty.

She glanced at Naruto, who'd been checking his phone because one of his clients had messaged him about work. But he'd actually put his phone down and was now staring at her.

"Yeah," he responded, and she should have paid more attention to that heavy tone in his voice, but she'd completely dismissed it as harmless.

Besides, it was time to land and she completely forgot about it when the flight attendant came around to remind them to put their trays back and turn off their electronic gadgets.

Additional Notes and Disclaimers:

Ugh. This is one of the hardest chapters I've ever written but I just need to cover my bases:

I did a lot of research on trauma and PTSD, but despite my best efforts to portray everything carefully, I'm not perfect and interpretations will vary. Same with lions and animal attacks. No animals were harmed in the writing of this story, but I've taken some creative license so accuracy is not the main point. Also, as much as I try to ground this story with realistic depictions of contemporary life in Japan, this AU still falls under the realm of fiction. Thank you!