DISCLAIMER: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Original story: REMOVE! — Atharu.
Main charcters: Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyūga.
Rated: M
Genre: Romance, Hurt/comfort.
Warning: AU, LEMON, 17, OOC.
All credits goes to Atharu, original author of REMOVE!. She gave me her permission to translate her story from the original Indonesian version back in 2018, but I never had the chance to publish it. I hope you enjoy.
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CHAPTER 1
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In ten minutes, Hinata would be too late for lunch with her son. She glanced at the clock and saw that lunchtime was almost over. She wanted to leave immediately, but a mountain of work had piled up throughout the day. At the very least, she needed to finish the dirty dishes if she hoped to get permission to leave and check on her son.
"Still here? Your child will sulk all day if you don't show up to keep him company during lunch" Kiba said. His words made Hinata lower her head in regret. He then snatched the sponge from her hands and nudged her away from the sink, ignoring her protests.
"I'm sorry, I thought I could finish this befor —"
"Enough, Hinata. Just take off your apron and go. Boruto's a little monster when he's upset" Kiba said. He knew Boruto well and understood his tendency to refuse to eat anything without his mother around.
"Thanks. I didn't realize you had such a soft side under that tough looking exterior." Hinata chuckled, watching as Kiba's face turned red. He huffed in annoyance but tried to hide his embarrassment. "Thanks for keeping an eye on Boruto. One day, you'll make a great father."
Kiba's face flushed with a mix of pride and embarrassment. Not wanting to appear too flustered, he reminded Hinata to hurry. "Get out now. And tell your son if he doesn't finish his lunch, I won't buy him any cotton candy."
Hinata's eyes widened in realization. "So you're the one who's been giving Boruto all that candy?" She now understood why Boruto sometimes complained about toothaches — Kiba had been spoiling him. Hinata felt a bit annoyed.
Kiba grinned, showing no remorse. "Blame Boruto's irresistible eyes. He's a little terror when he's sulking — my wallet takes a beating every month. It's already empty by the time I get paid." He winced as he felt a sharp pinch on his hand.
"Tell Konan-san I'll be back before three" Hinata said as she grabbed her purple shoulder bag and dashed out the back door towards the daycare.
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Hinata's assumption was correct. She arrived to find Boruto sitting with his lunch still untouched. Sometimes she felt like a neglectful mother, as Boruto often went along with things without complaint, spending his day from morning till evening without her.
"Boru" Hinata called softly. Her son's bright blue eyes lit up when he saw her. He clumsily made his way toward her, navigating around scattered toys.
"MAMA!" Boruto leaped into her arms. "Mama's late. Boruto's hungry but wanted to wait for mama!" His small head nestled into her neck.
Hinata smiled despite herself. Boruto's affectionate behavior, though spoiled, was something she cherished deeply.
"Ah, Hinata, you finally made it," Kurenai, the daycare owner, greeted her with a warm smile. "I tried to get him to eat, but he refused, insisting on waiting for you."
"Sorry for the trouble, Kurenai-san. He really is spoiled." The two women shared a laugh, though Boruto's face remained sulky. He knew his mother was teasing him.
"That means he loves you a lot, Hinata. I need to run some errands now; I'll see you later." Kurenai said patting Boruto's head before leaving.
Hinata nodded in understanding. "Thank you again Kurenai-san. Now, sweetheart, explain why, even though you often refuse to eat, you keep getting heavier, hmm?" Hinata showered Boruto's face with kisses.
Boruto giggled and laughed. "Mama, let's eat. I'm really hungry." He patted his stomach, making it clear he was ready for lunch.
"Alright, my little hero. Let's eat together."
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Boruto opened his Tupperware, and the smell of Hinata's cooking was irresistible. He picked up a spoon and, before eating, closed his eyes to say a prayer, just as Hinata had taught him.
At his young age, Boruto could eat on his own, though sometimes he asked Hinata to feed him.
"Mom, aren't you eating?" His innocent blue eyes looked up at Hinata.
Hinata was momentarily taken aback, then chuckled. It was hard for her to admit it but her son looked so much like his father. "Life is so unfair" she thought, though she was reluctant to voice it. No matter what, Boruto was still only hers, even though he was a constant reminder of that man, she still loves him more than anything else in the world.
Hinata shook her head, trying to ignore her own thoughts and especially hunger. Her stomach ached slightly from missing breakfast and having only a small lunch. She'd probably grab some bread or biscuits later or maybe some instant noodles — better than nothing.
Working as a waitress meant Hinata had to be frugal. Everything she earned was for Boruto, with any leftover money saved for emergencies.
As long as Boruto was well fed, Hinata could ignore her own declining weight.
"I've already eaten, sweetheart. And I'm full just by seeing you enjoy your meal." She spoke sincerely. Despite her struggles, Boruto was the one bright spot in her life.
"Of course, mama. If Boruto eats a lot, he'll grow up quickly and be able to protect mama. Then mama won't need to come home late anymore because Boruto will earn a lot of money and mama won't have to work anymore." The boy laughed widely, showing a row of his baby teeth that had already grown in.
His maturity in understanding life was shocking considering his age.
"Mama, aaaa…" Boruto brought a spoonful of rice and grilled sausage closer to his mother's lips. Hinata almost cried from emotion but held it back as best as she could. Even though her life was full of shortages, she could still see her son's smile.
"Mama loves Boruto." The slender woman with moon like eyes gently stroked the top of her angel's head. "If Boruto were to go away, mama would — mama would die." Hinata embraced her son tightly. She swore to prevent anything that would make the little light of her life disappear.
"Mama." Her son yelled in frustration. "Boruto will always be by mama's side. I love mama. Mama, don't cry, or the rice will get salty." He whined and then hugged his mother tightly with both tiny hands.
"Love you, my little sunshine."
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Finally, after spending 30 minutes, Boruto managed to finish his lunch. Hinata got him a drink and then put the lunchbox into a plastic bag to wash it at the café. "After this, you can go back to play with your friends, dear."
Boruto's face immediately darkened. The boy leaned his head against Hinata's lap. "When will Mama come home? Boru wants to go home now."
"Why, dear? Mama will come home as usual, at seven in the evening Mama will pick you up." The daycare where Boruto was left actually only served until five in the afternoon, but Kurenai was okay with keeping Boruto a bit longer.
Hinata secretly noticed the usual behaviour of her son when he was hiding something. Boruto showed reluctance to be left behind, which was actually very unusual.
"Friends don't want to play with Boruto, mama."
Hinata was startled to hear this; from the start, Boruto had always seemed to get along well with his friends.
"There's a new child here. Boru hates him, mama. Once when I tried to touch his robot toy he got very angry and he shouted at me. He says I have to ask my papa to buy me toys, but Boru doesn't have a papa."
Hinata's breath caught in her throat, and her body trembled slightly from the sudden shock. How could someone be so cruel to hurt her child?
"He mocked me, and then — *sobs* then he said something bad about mama." Boruto's ocean blue eyes accidentally released tears, his sobs gradually making Hinata's heart ache.
The child struggled to hold back tears, crying in front of his mama. Meanwhile, Hinata knew her money wasn't enough to buy even one robot toy.
"He called mama a shameless woman. Boru was born without a papa, which means Boru is a dirty child. Hiccup — I don't want to be friends with him."
Boruto didn't want Hinata to worry, but it was too late when he saw his mama feeling sad from the reflection of his tearful eyes. "Mama, why are you crying? Did I do something wrong? Mama, Boru will be a good child. Boru will hit that kid."
Hinata felt like crying. There is no way a child so small can think like that, so the only explanation was that his parents must have told him not to get close to Boruto, therefore saying all those things to the kid as a reason why.
Quickly, Hinata wiped her tears and shook her head. "No, dear, mama doesn't teach you to hit or fight. Mama just wants to say that even though Boruto doesn't have a papa, mama is here. Mama will turn a deaf ear to those comments, and so should Boruto. It's enough that we have just the two of us, dear. Mama loves you. And I'll buy a robot toy for Boruto later."
Wiping his snot and remaining tears, Boruto looked very happy with what his mama said. "Really, mama!? And cotton candy too?"
Hinata ruffled Boruto's fine hair. She had to keep her child's smile intact. "I promise, dear. And you also have to promise something to mama." Hinata offered her pinky finger, which Boruto eagerly accepted.
"What, mama?"
"Stop forcing Uncle Kiba to give in to your demands, you naughty child. You'll get fat from hoarding too much cotton candy."
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TBC?
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A/N: Hello everyone, I'm back after so many years. I'm sorry I didn't continue my other stories; I honestly don't remember where I left off or how I was planning to continue them. It might take some time, but I'll eventually get back to them.
In the meantime, I'm excited to share a new fanfic with you. I translated it many years ago but never had the chance to publish it, so here it is. Let me know what you think about it. Depending on your feedback, I'll decide whether to continue or not. The original story was written by Atharu, who is a fantastic writer. If you understand Indonesian, please check out her account — she's amazing.
Please review or PM me if you find any typing errors so I can correct them immediately. I hope you enjoy the story. Let me know if you like it or not, and leave a review. Thanks for reading. See you soon!