Series: Naruto
Pairings: NaruHina
Author: Lynns
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi
Type: Alternate Universe/Romance
Sparks Fly
Side Story #3
Four Months till The Wedding . . .
"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
The entire Hyuuga family cried out together before the booming sounds of fireworks shooting into the night sky muffled their voices. An explosion of lights lit up the cul-de-sac that housed most of the Hyuuga Family, and even people who were only simply neighbours came out to witness the bright spectacle.
With a drunken smile on his face, Naruto wrapped his arm tightly around his fiancé. While he did want to be close to the woman he loved, it was also an attempt to shield her from the new January cold they were currently standing out in. Hinat's pale eyes sparkled as she watched the show up above, a genuine smile on her face as they welcomed in the new year.
Mostly everyone in the family was wearing big winter coats, but a few uncles and second cousins had only put on a sweater; probably thinking that they wouldn't be out in the elements for too long.
As the light show came to a close, Hanabi, who had been clinging to Konohamaru, suddenly burst out, "Alright! Let's keep this party going! Which house are we going to get wild in?!"
With the fireworks over a loud groan echoed throughout the family, but their second cousin Akio piped up, "Uncle Hizashi's place! I need a beer and a soak in the hot tub!"
Naruto glanced at Hinata worriedly, however, the older Hyuuga merely shrugged his shoulders and agreed that anyone who wanted to keep drinking was more than welcome to come over to his place.
"Now Akio, I think you've had plenty to drink so far. Maybe it's time to tone it down for the rest of the evening? We don't want a repeat of the last few year's parties now do we?" Hiashi said sternly.
"Aw come on Uncle Hiashi, you really need to quit being a stick in the mud! It's New Year's Day now! We need to at least celebrate with a few more beers!" Akio protested playfully.
While Naruto had only met their second cousin a handful of times, the best way he could describe the young man was as if he were looking at his mentor Jiraiya in his younger days: full of life and needing a drink for any occasion.
I'm not sure if the guy is a womanizer, though. Otherwise, I would think he was Pervy-Jiraiya's twin . . .
"It's alright, Hiashi. A FEW beers aren't going to hurt anyone, and it's fine if a couple of the youngsters want to soak in the hot tub for a bit. But if there is any serious tomfoolery in my house, I won't think twice about throwing you out into the snow with only your swimming trunks on."
An echo of light laughter went through the group from Hizashi's light threat to the younger man in particular, but without another word, most of the Hyuuga family started to migrate to their separate destinations. The ones who lived in the cul-de-sac started to head towards their homes, others who were from out of town went to the residence they were staying with, or the much younger generation, of about 6 people or so, started heading to where the party was continuing at Hizashi's.
While Naruto was quite content with the alcohol he had already consumed in the last five hours, he tilted his head down slightly to whisper into Hinata's ear, "What do you want to do?"
She glanced up at him with a tipsy gaze, her eyes shifting between her sister and second cousin before coming back to him, a deeper blush spreading across her cheeks, "I think we should go downstairs and cuddle for a bit inside my father's home. I'm tired of drinking, but I want to spend a little bit more time with just you before we go to bed."
He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face before leaning down and lightly kissing her forehead, "That honestly sounds like a great idea."
Grasping her soft hand in his larger one, the couple slowly joined the small Hyuuga crowd that was heading back into Hiashi's house. However, Naruto's ears perked up when he heard Akio speak rather loudly to his soon-to-be sister-in-law.
"Man, your father is such a buzz kill. No wonder he hasn't found a second wife ye . . ."
In a blur, suddenly Neji had shoved his elbow deep into Akio's abdomen while Hanabi had driven her knee into the middle of his back.
"Double Combo! K.O!" Konohamaru cried out drunkenly.
A deathly silence fell over the group, and Naruto couldn't help as his eyes quickly found the retreating back of his father-in-law. While some of the family were giving each other worrisome glances, the older Hyuuga either hadn't heard what the young man had said or was choosing to ignore it.
Hinata, who was usually calm and collected, suddenly left his side and stormed over to her younger second cousin, who was currently on his knees trying to catch his breath. Naruto visibly flinched when he saw his fiancé grab Akio by the ear and whisper something harshly into his ear. A few tears were actually visible in the poor man's eyes before she released the red ear lobe and briskly walked back towards Naruto. She grasped his hand tightly before almost storming into the house; he only glanced back one more time to see Hizashi say something to the young man before they too headed back inside.
The atmosphere inside the house was rather awkward at first. Only a few relatives were staying here in the basement bedrooms, and they would be occupying Hinata's old bedroom on the main floor. Naruto couldn't tell if Hiashi had heard what Akio said, but if he had, the elder Hyuuga was not showing that it bothered him in the slightest.
Instead, Hiashi simply turned to all of his guests and said that while he was retiring for the night, they were more than welcome to help themselves to the food and alcohol in his fridge so long as they kept the noise down.
"While the basement is technically sound-proof, I don't really want to be disturbed for the rest of the evening." Hiashi sighed tiredly, slowly making his way up the stairs.
The remaining Hyuuga relatives simply said that they were off to bed as well before heading towards the basement stairs.
While Naruto hadn't planned on drinking anymore, he couldn't help but saunter over to the fridge and pull out one more beer. Without hesitation, he cracked it open and took a rather long sip. As he pulled the cool bottle away from his lips, he suddenly found Hinata right by his side, also reaching into the fridge and pulling out a half-empty bottle of white wine. He didn't react nor say anything as she grabbed her empty glass that had been sitting on the island and poured the clear liquid into it.
I should ask Hinata if everything is alright . . . but I just have this feeling that words right now aren't the best approach . . .
Even though her back was to him, it was clear that there was quite an internal storm raging on inside of her. So instead of saying anything, Naruto simply came up behind his fiancé and embraced her with a tight bear hug. The top of her head came to rest under his chin, Hinata's soft dark locks tickling his skin.
While at first, she was a bit stiff in his arms, it only lasted less than a second before she completely melted against him, a deep sigh escaping her lips.
The words were there, right on the tip of his tongue, wanting to ask her if she was okay. However, Naruto knew that it was a redundant question to ask.
In counting, this was only his second time attending the Hyuuga New Year's Eve Party, and while he had spent time with some of the family members during different holidays, it was very clear that one of the topics that was never, ever brought up was the mentioning of either Himari or Yui Hyuuga. It was as if talking about either woman was considered taboo in the family, even if it was in a positive light.
Not that I entirely blame everyone for their silence. From what I've learned over the years, it is such a tragic story that anyone would have a hard time talking about it.
While alone with Hinata, he had occasionally tried to inquire more about her mom. However, either his fiancé couldn't remember much, or she kept the memory of the woman very tight-lipped.
Or maybe, it's because the old man hasn't told his daughters anything about their mother . . . even now he hasn't . . .
A few years ago, he had a decent heart-to-heart with his father-in-law; however, it seemed that he had only made a crack of a breakthrough with the man. Though Hinata's relationship with her father was slightly better, it still felt like the two of them were almost complete strangers still.
Another sigh left Hinata's lips before she tilted her head back slightly and downed the entirety of the wine in her glass before setting it back on the island. Even though she still hadn't said anything yet, Naruto didn't need to be told what she was thinking or feeling as he pulled her even tighter against his chest, letting his love know that he was there for her.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I know I said I wanted to snuggle on the couch, but now, I just want to go to bed." Hinata murmured, her eyes closing tiredly.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Naruto gently asked, "Have you ever tried asking him more about your mom?"
Hinata immediately stiffened in his embrace.
And while her reaction made his heart ache for her, it suddenly clenched to the point of being painful as he watched her small hand reach up to gently cup her own cheek, as if reminiscing the last time she had ever asked those words and the punishment that had come with it.
"No . . . the last time I did, I was very young, and father got very angry . . ." Hinata said faintly.
The sympathy that he had been feeling was immediately replaced with rage. He suddenly found himself releasing his girlfriend and started marching towards the stairs that would lead him to the second floor.
"N-Naruto! No! Stop please!"
He ignored his fiancée's panicked whisper.
Even if it was something that hadn't happened in over twenty years or it occurred at a time when he didn't even know Hinata's name, there was a surge of adrenaline and testosterone that was rampaging through his entire body with only one goal in mind.
Protect and keep Hinata safe.
Before his feet could touch the carpeted stairs, Hinata was suddenly in front of him.
"Please, Naruto! It happened such a long time ago and Father eventually apologized! Please don't do this!"
Hinata may as well have been talking to a wall because at that moment nothing was getting through his drunken brain. He wanted to talk to Hiashi, and he wanted to talk to him at this very moment.
As Naruto attempted to move his lover out of the way, Hinata suddenly turned around, her hands reaching over her shoulder and her fingers tightly gripping the black and orange sweatshirt that he had been wearing all night. Before the electrician knew what was happening, his chest was suddenly on Hinata's back and after a quick spin she flung him onto his back on the floor; his eyes now staring up at the white ceiling.
After a moment, Hinata's face appeared above him with a panicked, but stern look on her face. Her frustration and anger were now more so directed at him. "I told you to stop!"
In his drunken stupor, Naruto realized that she had just judo-mastered his ass to the floor quite effortlessly, and while he was still angry with his father-in-law, he was at this moment more impressed that she had taken him down so easily.
Is this how she took down opponents in her youth? Especially if someone was bigger or taller than her?"
After blinking a few more times, he slowly sat up and rubbed the back of his head out of embarrassment, "Ah, I'm sorry Hinata. I just . . . you know . . ."
Naruto wasn't sure what he needed to be more embarrassed about. The fact that he had almost stormed up the stairs in a blind rage or that Hinata had just flung him to the floor like a sack of potatoes.
Hinata sighed and offered him a hand up, "I know, Naruto. It's just a topic that we don't speak of in this house. As much as I would like to, even after all these years, it is painful for father to speak about his wife. So much so, that I've never even seen him look at another woman."
His eyebrow arched in curiosity, "Never?"
Hinata shook her head, "No. Not once. There was a time when I was worried that perhaps he would try to replace or find someone else so that he wouldn't be lonely. But after all these years, he still wears his wedding ring as if she is still here. Granted though, I don't blame him at all since the same thing pretty much happened to his mom too."
Naruto froze when he got to his feet, his mind trying to comprehend what Hinata was insinuating.
Come to think of it . . . I have never heard of Hinata even mentioning a grandmother on either side of her family . . .
His blue eyes glanced toward the stairs that he had been about to climb.
What if Hinata is trying to say, that Hiashi's mother passed away in a similar fashion? Meaning he has no concrete memories of the woman who . . .
"When did she pass?" Naruto asked softly.
Hinata sighed, slowly turning around to look up at the top of the stairs, "Both Father and Uncle never got the chance to meet their mother, my Grandmother Haruka. Giving birth to twins back then was very risky, especially if you didn't know you were having them."
An uncomfortable silence fell over the vast living room area. Even the twinkling lights that were still shining on the Christmas Tree couldn't brighten the atmosphere even in the slightest.
All Naruto could think about was the complete opposite dynamic of what he had experienced with his family. While there were very few Uzumaki's left around, his mother was always telling him stories he had either never heard before or some he had listened to many times about relatives he had never even met; yet he almost seemed to know them as if they were still here today.
He even could remember a time asking his mom if she ever felt sad when retelling her stories about the family she had lost, but his mother always smiled and said that it was her way of always keeping their memories alive and well.
"I tell their stories honey so that their memory lives on and so that you can also tell your kids about them too. I truly believe it's important that we understand where we all came from and who are family is."
Deep down, Naruto really wanted to repair Hinata's broken heart.
While he had been alone many, many times in his life with his parents always being away, at least he knew who his mom and dad were. He just couldn't imagine a life of not knowing who brought him into this world, or everyone keeping it a secret from him.
And yet he didn't even know where to begin.
Hinata had mentioned a few times that they had attended family therapy together, which in his mind meant that they had at least had some healing as a family unit. However, it was quite obvious that there were some areas where not even a therapist could get Hiashi to talk about everything.
Naruto, very hesitantly, approached his fiancé. He had already angered her this evening and he didn't want to make it any worse.
"Hey, why don't we head on to bed? I'd say we've had enough excitement already this New Years, wouldn't you say?"
His soft words seemed to have done the trick.
Hinata gave him a tender nod before reaching out her hand to gently grasp his, which he did without any hesitation. Silently, the couple retreated to her old childhood bedroom where they would be spending the rest of the evening.
She was the first to enter the vast bedroom and flicked on a light switch, turning on a lamp on the bedside table. Almost automatically, the two of them went to the suitcase that had been sitting on the bed, and they retrieved the pajamas they had packed for the night away. On any other given day, Naruto would have taken the opportunity to touch his lover in very inappropriate ways when she undressed in front of him. However, considering how delicate the situation was tonight, he made sure to keep his hands to himself for now.
After a quick trip to the bathroom, Naruto crawled under the thick comforter and snuggled up right beside Hinata, his arms slipping around her small frame and holding her tight. The two of them both let out a long exhale and closed their eyes.
However, sleep was not coming any time soon, for either of them.
Even with the light turned off, the room engulfed in complete darkness and even the time of 1 am slowly approaching, both the young adults couldn't seem to turn their buzzing minds off.
While Naruto felt compelled to say some form of comforting words to his lover, a feeling deep down in his soul knew there was absolutely nothing he could say to fix the situation. It was one of those circumstances where he desperately wanted to help in any way, shape or form but couldn't.
I'm not part of this family, just a mere stranger watching from the outside. At least . . . for the time being . . .
A heavy sigh passed through Naruto's lips.
"Do you want me to try and bore you to sleep with wedding details?"
Hinata's soft voice tickled his ears, and he cracked one eye open to look down at her. Even though she was snuggled against his chest, the only thing he could see was the top of her head. Chucking softly, he replied, "Sure, and maybe going over the exclusive details will help you fall asleep as well."
He could feel her smile and she lightly poked him in the ribs.
After taking a deep breath, she began going over things with him, "I booked that DJ and Videographer company that we had talked about during my last shift; thankfully they weren't busy the day of our wedding. I also told my father that we had asked Ichiraku Ramen to do the midnight dinner, and just like you and Hanabi predicted, he wasn't very pleased about that. But if we go with Evolution Catering for the main meal course, I honestly don't think he will mind too much.
"My dress is coming in the next week, so while you are away back at Konoha Energy, I'll take Hanabi with me for the fitting appointment. I'm also thinking of inviting your mother along too since she wasn't present when I picked the dress out. And we already have your suit ready to go and stored away in the downstairs closet, so that's a crucial item off of the list as well. I know we talked about having fake flowers for decor, my bouquet and your boutonniere. However, my family is adamant that they be real, and even my grandfather is offering to pay for it, so I think we should just keep the peace and let them do that."
While he was only half paying attention, her soft, soothing voice and the way her fingertips were lightly drawing circles on his chest were starting to carry him off to sleep. His heavy eyes slowly closed, and he took a deep breath in, finally feeling slumber starting to take hold of him.
But just then, for whatever reason, a gut feeling told him not to fall asleep yet.
Naruto's body twitched slightly from the intrusive thought and his eyes were wide open again. Hinata sat up slightly, her pale, concerned eyes boring into his, "Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry, Hinata. I just got this sudden feeling that I'm missing something."
"Oh?"
Naruto sat up.
He wasn't sure what it was, but it almost felt like he had failed to remember a certain duty or a task was being unforgotten.
Our vehicles are locked, pretty sure we didn't leave any appliances on like the stove. I saw them bring in all the leftover fireworks after we got back inside. No one left the door open and . . . wait a minute.
The electrician let out a sigh, and he glanced down at Hinata, "I think someone forgot to lock the front door. I didn't see your Dad or any other relatives do that."
Hinata simply smiled and patted his chest, "Well then I will double-check. You stay here in the nice warm bed while I quickly take care of that."
As she went to get up, Naruto playfully wrapped his arms around her and lightheartedly pushed her down back onto the bed before teasingly saying, "Now now now, we can't have that Miss Future Uzumaki. You stay here and keep the bed warm for me while I sweep the permitter. And then when I come back, you can continue to keep telling me more about what we need to accomplish on our days off while I touch your butt."
With the shift in the atmosphere, Naruto felt like it was now okay to be a bit more on the playful side with his girlfriend, which apparently worked because Hinata attempted to tease him back by saying, "W-well then, you'd better hurry up. Maybe this bed w-will be too warm and I'll have to take a few garments off."
Naruto groaned, "Oh don't test me like that, Hinata! I promised your father anytime we were under his roof that we would keep things PG between us!"
After mockingly waving his finger at her, the electrician gently opened the door and slipped out into the quiet hallway.
While he couldn't tell right away if the door was locked or not, it was quite clear that no one had done a proper check of the house since a lot of the lights in the main room and kitchen were still on.
Naruto could only sigh as he moved stealthily across the hardwood floors because after all, he and Hinata had been the last ones off to bed, so in a way, he felt it was his responsibility to lock down the house.
He first checked the kitchen, placing a few empty glasses in the dishwasher and turning off the island and dining area lights. Slowly but surely, the brightly lit first floor was becoming darker, and soon Naruto would be able to return to his warm bed snuggled beside his future wife.
Moving onto the front door, his hand reached forward and tested the handle, which moved quite easily when turning it.
"I knew it . . ." Naruto mumbled under his breath.
Quickly he locked the handle and deadbolt before moving over to the home security pad. With a push of a few buttons and the soft three beeps indicating that the house was secure for the rest of the early morning hours, Naruto then made his way to the sitting area.
After flicking off the main lights, the only object that remained on was the giant Christmas Tree. A part of Naruto did want to leave the giant decoration lit with its comforting glow, but since this wasn't his house, it was best to just turn everything off.
As he got closer to the tree, Naruto found the receptacle that it was plugged into and reached to finish up his tasks, however . . .
"Please don't turn it off just yet."
The sudden, soft voice to his left made Naruto choke on his own scream, a croak-like sound escaping his throat from being startled.
Stumbling over his feet, Naruto almost fell to the ground as he whipped around to see who was speaking to him; not to mention wondering to himself how he had missed the presence of another person in the same vicinity.
Sitting on the floor just in front of the sofa while wearing flannel pajamas and a robe was none other than Hiashi Hyuuga. His pale eyes were fixated on the Christmas Tree with a half bottle of Sake in his left hand.
Naruto's hand clutched the front of his shirt, and he could feel the frantic beating of his heartbeat against his palm. It took a few deep breaths for the electrician to compose himself before he attempted to speak to the elder Hyuuga.
"Everything alright there, sir? I thought you were heading off to bed?"
He felt a sense of Déjà vu sweep over him; nostalgic for the time the two of them had talked at the kitchen island. Except this time, something was quite different with the man who was simply sitting on the living room floor, almost as if he was completely out of it.
Naruto slowly approached his father-in-law, and comedically waved his hand in front of the man's intense gaze which was still on the Christmas Tree. Hiashi's eyes never wavered, as if he were completely mesmerized by the mystical sapling in front of him.
The electrician had been about to back away, but then he suddenly caught the slight aroma of something he vaguely recognized. It was hard to miss at first, but then again, he hadn't seen old man Jiraiya in such a long who was quite a known user of recreational drugs when he was on his days off. The scent was undeniable though, and Naruto was having a very hard time believing that Mr. Hyuuga would even take part in such an activity.
"Um sir? Did you by chance have an encounter with Mary Jane?" Naruto asked hesitantly.
Pale eyes still remained fixated on the Christmas Tree, but at least this time Hiashi replied with, "I was about to go to sleep, but after a few minutes I could hear Akio and the others being very loud outside. I went to go scold them, but I caught Akio puffing on a joint just on the other side of the fence."
Naruto wasn't sure if he should be very concerned or bust a gut laughing at how slow and calm his father-in-law was speaking; he literally had blood in his mouth from biting the side of his cheek so hard.
"I took it away from him, and once again he called me a stick in the mud. Out of rage, I proceeded to smoke the rest of his blunt before yelling at him that it was time for him and the others to go to bed. I used to try this stuff a bit in my younger years, but when I got in the house, I was . . . hit rather hard. Nothing like the stuff Hizashi and I tried back when we were young."
It's no use, I'm going to crack . . . I'm going to crack . . .
It was a good thing that Hiashi was so fixated on the Christmas Tree because off to the side, Naruto was having a physical and mental seizure trying to keep himself together. He almost wanted to call Hanabi over so she could witness what had happened to her father. The youngest daughter would have found it a riot and probably would have started taking a video. Hinata on the other hand, would have been completely mortified to see Hiashi in this state.
Attempting to compose himself one more time, Naruto began to lean forward in an attempt to help the poor guy up at least off the floor so he could be better positioned on the couch, however, the next words to leave Hiashi's lips caused him to completely freeze.
"I quit trying those drugs altogether after I met, Himari. She never was a fan of me partaking in that kind of activity.
The comical moment came to a cold standstill.
Naruto's blue eyes became wide with shock, realizing this was the first and only time Hiashi had ever mentioned his wife's name in front of him. Before he could think to move or act, a soft noise caught his attention down the hallway.
Standing there in the dark blue silk pajamas that he had gotten her on the very first Christmas party they had attended as a couple, was Hinata with a very concerned look on his face. She was slowly starting to approach them, her long hair now pulled into a low-side ponytail.
At that moment, Naruto felt like he was at a crossroads.
There was the option of just shutting down what was going on at this very moment, and the two of them getting Hiashi back to bed safely.
Or . . .
There was a dark, sinister part of Naruto's mind that wanted to take complete advantage of the situation that had been so well presented to him that it may as well have been gift-wrapped. Swallowing the guilty lump in his throat, he decided that at this moment he was going to be completely selfish. Or rather, hopefully, get some clear answers for his fiancé that were way overdue.
Being as discreet as he was capable of, Naruto gestured with his left hand for Hinata to go around through the kitchen and come up behind the couch while his gaze tried to stay focused on the man still sitting on the floor. She was of course bewildered by his action, but thankfully she did not question his motivations as she quietly followed his direction. As she slowly started to approach the sofa, Hinata must have noticed the top of her father's head, because her expression shifted from confusion to surprise and worry.
However, Naruto once again motioned for her to stop and to stay put.
Hinata was of course visibly cross with him; her hands now firmly on the hips and the serious glare she was giving him almost wavered his resolve, but . . .
I don't care if she gets mad at me about this. I don't care if she doesn't talk to me the entire time I'm on my next shift. If I play my cards right here . . . then maybe, just maybe . . .
When it was clear that Hinata had no intention of moving, Naruto cleared his throat and softly kneeled so that he was a bit closer to Hiashi, but he could still see his fiancé out of the corner of his eye. It was clear to anyone that the poor man was high as a kite, making Naruto wonder what kind of marijuana Akio had been attempting to puff. Whatever the brand was, it had Hiashi so clearly oblivious that if Naruto asked the right questions, the older man was bound to tell him anything.
The only thing he needed to figure out was HOW to ask questions about Himari that wouldn't seem suspicious. While Hiashi did mention that he had smoked a bit of Mary Jane in his younger years, Naruto was unaware of how long the man would be affected by the drug. And with the way Hinata was impatiently glaring at him now, he needed to think fast.
Maybe just from the beginning? As if I was meeting him and his wife for the first time?
Naruto cleared his throat and gently asked, "So, Mr. Hiashi, how did you meet Himari?"
While he didn't need to see Hinata's face to know she was completely mortified by him asking that question, what probably shocked his fiancé more was that her father actually answered it without hesitation.
"I met her at Konoha Energy when I was still a third-year electrician. She was a receptionist for the Kumo Pipeline company, and I remember seeing her quite a few times during site-wide meetings; you know, the ones where everyone assembles, and you got a free hat at the end of it." Hiashi softly said, his gaze never leaving the Christmas Tree once.
Naruto smiled, "Were you the first one to approach her?"
A very rare small smile spread across the man's face, and while Naruto wanted nothing more than for Hinata to see her father's expression, he kept still and listened to his response.
"Actually, we were forced to partner up during a drinking game. Hizashi more so wanted to show off to Yui, who also worked with Kumo Pipeline as the Safety Coordinator. Yui and Himari were always inseparable best friends, and so after Hizashi begged me to participate, I obliged to his pleas and joined in. Himari and I actually won, which then started us getting to know each other better."
"Was it love at first sight?"
This time Hiashi let out an uncharacteristically small laugh, "Hardly. In fact, she was such a spitfire that I was almost turned off wanting to be around her. Hinata may have inherited her mother's beauty and kindness, however, Hanabi has Himari's spicey attitude."
Naruto tried not to move as he could only watch from out of the corner of his eye as Hinata crumpled to the floor. Silent tears began streaming down her cheeks with a trembling hand covering her mouth. Keeping his composure, Naruto continued on, "But you fell in love with her anyways?"
"After that one lightning storm on site, yes. It was during a 30/30 lightning storm shutdown. I was in the same trailer as her. We just ended up talking lots during a chess match to pass the time, and well, we were inseparable ever since."
"What did you like the most about her?"
"Oh, her smile and her laugh; It was music to my ears. Whenever she would laugh with Yui, or play with our girls on the floor, it was like magic to me. Everything in life paled in comparison when it came to seeing my love smile."
Naruto suddenly felt his throat tighten. The happiness that was displayed on the older man's face was almost heartbreaking, especially since he knew how this love story ended.
"W-where did you propose to her?" Naruto asked with a trembling voice.
"At the bus depot just after a long shift. Back then, we never used to fly up to work, it was mostly by the large charter buses. I had wanted to wait until we were at her place, but I was so nervous that I panicked and asked her to marry me right in front of everyone. When I think back, I can still hear Yui's laughter in the background. However, the applause we received from everyone when she said yes still holds a special place in my heart."
"A-and the wedding?"
"Heh, it was a small celebration. My father was not pleased with who I had picked, he would much rather I had chosen someone from a more prestige family; not a simple one like Himari was from. They weren't poor in the slightest, but Father still looked down on them. Regardless of how he felt, the man still did show up for the ceremony but didn't stay for the reception. I can still see Himari in her poofy ballgown dress. She was never one to dress up like a princess, but on that day . . .oh. She was perfect. The sweet smell of the white roses in her hair, along with a perfect sunny day. It was . . . flawless."
So far, Hiashi had yet to look away from the Christmas tree. It was the only thing in the room that he would look at or even really acknowledge. With that in mind, Naruto chanced a quick glance at Hinata, and the sight before him broke his heart even more. Her eyes were tightly shut, tears streaming down her face and quiet sobs wracked her small frame. Every fibre of his being wanted to go over to the woman he loved and embrace her as tightly as he could; shielding her from everything and anything that was causing her to cry.
Not yet . . . not yet, Hinata. I'm so sorry. Just a little bit longer. You deserve to know everything about your mother!
"While Himari danced with her father, Yui danced with me for the mother-son dance since none of my relatives would join me. That woman though was practically part of the family, and of course, even joined the Hyuuga family when she married Hizashi. This was another reason we chose to build our houses close together so that Yui and Himari could be neighbours and be there for each other once we started having children."
"D-do you ever still speak with Himari's family?" Naruto asked cautiously.
"No, unfortunately. I think there are only a few of her cousins left living, and I've never really spoken to them. Her parents unfortunately passed a few years after we were married. I . . . I don't even think we got to break the news to them when we found out she was pregnant with Hinata. And of course, I have never even met my own mother, so I know that Himari was rather nervous and scared when she first found out. I really couldn't blame her in all honesty. While she always did have Yui, I know during both her pregnancies she craved her mother's presence deeply."
Naruto's breath started to quiver. After that last question, he noticed that Hiashi's eyes were slowly starting to droop, meaning the old man would be falling asleep any moment now, and their mockery interview would come to a close.
With what little time he had left, Naruto continued asking things such as if Himari had any hobbies or what was Hiashi's favourite activity to do with her.
"She loved flowers and all sorts of gardening. When we first built this house, there was a massive vegetable garden in the back. I've never had much of a green thumb, but, after she was gone, I at least attempted to keep all the flowers healthy and hired someone to come attend to the weeding once a week. Although, as Hinata got older she started taking over the flowers. I so wanted to tell her how much she looked like her mother, or that I was proud of her for looking after the thing Himari loved doing most. But I could never find the words.
"I am a very avid reader, and while Himari was never a bookworm, she would always sit beside me and knit. We could be watching TV, listening to the radio, or even just a comfortable silence as we basked in each other's presence. Her favorite project of mine was the pink and purple hats she had made for our daughters, which . . . I'm not exactly sure where I put them. Perhaps they are still under the bed; that's where I've always kept Himari's things, especially the items she made for our girls. Sweet Baby Girl Hinata, and Cherry Bomb Hanabi, that was the nickname she gave the girls"
Almost eerily, Hiashi's eyes finally shifted off the tree and onto Naruto for a brief moment, his gaze was wide and bewildered, almost as if he were a child. Before he could say anything though, Naruto watched as Hiashi moved his gaze down to his left hand, eyeing the wedding band on his ring finger.
"You know . . . that was the only way I was able to identify my wife at the accident sight that night. The car was so crushed and mangled that no one on the scene had been able to identify anyone inside. They only called me because my name was registered under the license plate, and originally, they had told me that only one person had been inside. But . . . I can still see that night so clearly in my head. The rain, the flashing lights and sirens, the fire trucks and police cars. And the only thing they were able to identify in the car was a hand on the steering wheel wearing a wedding ring.
"When I think back to that night, I don't see it in color, just black and white. The doctors said that was my brain's way of protecting itself from the traumatic event. But a lot of good that's done for me. Just the thought of my wife or someone mentioning her name is enough for me to mentally shut down; I became gutted and lashed out at everyone . . . including my own daughters."
His pale eyes once again returned to the Christmas Tree.
"It was her absolute favourite holiday, you know, especially after Hinata was born. Himari always went full out when it came to Christmas, from decorating the house top to bottom, baking cookies and desserts, the holiday music, and she always insisted on hosting Christmas Dinner. Any present she wrapped looked like it was done by a professional, perfectly symmetrical and even the bows were flawless. I think that's why I always made sure our house and the Christmas Party's for our company were over the top and wonderful because I know she would have loved it . . . and would have been proud of me.
"Ah . . . but I am such a failure, as a man and father for my beloved wife. I not only failed her but our daughters as well. Oh, the times I wanted to tell them all the stories and experiences I had with Himari, and yet I just never could bring myself to. Always either yelling, pitting the two of them against each other, or just being downright cold to them. This house . . . which I had built to be filled with her laughter, and the laughter of our many children, has become stone cold and bare. No joy in this house at all . . . and I think that's what has crushed me the most. She was supposed to be by my side for years, being the joyful, loving wife to counter my serious demeanour."
Naruto jumped when Hiashi suddenly reached forward and grasped his wrist; the bewildered expression on the man's face shifted considerably to one of complete seriousness. "Once you have married my daughter, we will start to make the arrangements for the two of you to take over this house."
"Ah sir, we don't need to discuss that right . . ." Naruto stuttered.
"Listen to me, boy. I failed the one and only love of my life, and that is something I will be taking to the grave with me for all eternity. She was the only woman I have ever loved and by the gods, I have no desire to find another one; whether that be to stand by my side or share my bed with. But you . . . you can at least fill the void in this house. Promise me that you will have lots of children with my daughter, and let this house be loud. Let your children laugh and scream, make a mess of the floors and run around until they are out of breath. Make this their safe haven and not a prison like I did. Give your children as many hugs, kisses and cuddles as you can muster. Make this home a place that they will always feel welcomed in. I may have failed, but you and Hinata can bring joy to this house once again. Promise me."
"I-I promise . ." Naruto managed to rasp out.
Suddenly, Hiashi closed his eyes and completely slumped against Naruto, "Ah, it seems I'm at my limit. Be a good son-in-law and help me up the stairs."
Naruto quickly looked up to see how Hinata was faring out, however, the moment that Hiashi had collapsed onto him, with tears still falling down her cheeks she had silently fled to her bedroom. A part of Naruto was thankful that she was no longer there, but the tightness in his chest knew that this was all far from over.
Using all the strength he had built over the years of working up north and hitting the gym, Naruto almost easily hoisted the older Hyuuga onto his back and started to carry him up the stairs.
It was almost a too-easy task when he reached the top of the stairs and got Hiashi safely back into his bed. Without another word, his father-in-law automatically put himself to bed and almost instantly fell asleep.
Sighing from mental exhaustion, Naruto had been about to turn the bed lamp off but paused as Hiashi's words echoed through his ears.
"I keep Himari's items under the bed."
With his adrenaline still pumping, Naruto made the daring move to look under the bed as the old man was completely unaware that he had revealed his precious hiding spot. While deep down he did feel a bit guilty for snooping and taking advantage of Hiashi's current condition, all that felt minor when Naruto pulled out a rather large wooden box, the name Himari in gold metal print on the front.
Without hesitation, Naruto took the box and quietly made his way back downstairs to where his next challenge would be; confronting Hinata.
However, there wasn't much that needed to be said.
He found his fiancé on the bed, softly crying into a pillow, which for some reason, Naruto had a feeling this wasn't the first time she had done something like this in her room before. Silently he approached her, the wooden box firmly under his arm as he took a seat on the bed.
While Hinata did acknowledge his presence by looking up at him, her tear-streaked face made his heart clench and throat tighten up. There were so many things he wanted to say and apologies that needed to be said. But instead, he simply handed his love the box he had found.
Hinata's pale, sad eyes widened, and without hesitation, she took the wooden object from him and opened the box.
A choked sob left his fiancés' throat, and even more tears filled her normally pale violet beautiful eyes. From multiple pictures of Himari holding Hinata as a baby to pulling out soft pink knitted booties that were now right sitting on Hinata's lap; precious memorabilia of her mother that only an hour ago she had no idea existed.
Words of comfort were completely useless, especially since Naruto's throat felt like it was completely clamped shut. He had just helped reveal a family secret that had been hidden away for decades, and now, questions that had plagued Hinata for years were finally being brought into the light.
With what remaining strength he had, Naruto simply slipped in behind his lover and wrapped his arms around her reassuringly.
"I-I don't k-know whether I-I should be so a-angry and u-upset you, Naruto U-Uzumaki. Or if I-I should be k-kissing you s-senseless later on. B-but for now, all I c-can say is t-thank you. Y-you may have completely s-stirred up our c-calm family d-dynamic by doing this . . . but s-still, I can't begin to convey h-how grateful I am. E-even though I have s-so many questions how y-you got him t-to confess a-all of that!" Hinata sobbed while still looking through the precious memories inside the box.
Naruto could only let out a shaky breath before softly replying, "Well, you know me. I always seem to like to stir up trouble, even when I'm not involved in it."
His words may have been meant as a joke, but the single tear that slipped down his cheek truly showed what he was actually feeling at that moment.
"Take as much time as you need my love. Tomorrow you'll probably want to show this treasure to your sister . . . and then, I imagine the two of you are probably going to have an interesting chat with your father. Which by the way, you are more than welcome to throw me under the bus for causing this whole mess if you like."
Perhaps his whispered words would have gotten a chuckle out of his fiancé, but instead, she only nodded and continued looking at pictures she had never seen before.
Eight Years Later . . . .
The Uzumaki home was full of laughter and screams as seven little children ran through the living room and downstairs to the play area where they were free to cause all kinds of ruckus for the next fifteen minutes.
Both Naruto and his wife were all smiles as they slowly started to clear away the paper plates that were either licked clean or had chunks of hot dog or hamburger left on them. While at first glance, with all the balloons and decorative colored plates, one would think that they were in the midst of celebrating a child's Birthday. However, they were actually in the middle of celebrating Hinata's 36th birthday.
"Are you sure this is OK Hinata? Sora and I can watch the children if you and Naruto want to go out for a more private evening." Neji offered as he stood up with his empty plate.
Hinata, smiling from ear to ear, simply shook her head, "It's all good Neji, I promise. This is exactly the way I wanted to celebrate my birthday."
"Are you sure? I mean the cake is, well . . ."
Naruto suddenly chirped, "Oi! What's wrong with the cake the kids and I made?"
"Do you want my honest opinion, Naruto? I don't even think it would qualify even the entry at a preschool baking contest."
Hearing that, Naruto could only let out a genuine laugh. It wasn't that Neji wasn't wrong, in fact, if he hadn't been the one supervising the children while they had been decorating the cake, he may have had his doubts about its edibleness as well. "Well, that may be true, but the kids did put a lot of hard work decorating it for their mom. I know it looks like a rainbow vomited all over it, but I assure you it will taste just fine. No one was licking their fingers and putting them back in the bowl, I promise you that."
While Neji seemed a little irritated, Hanabi came up beside him with a light nudge, "Just because you get all your birthday cakes from the bakery, doesn't mean you can't appreciate the hard work your nieces and nephew did. Tell you what, my twin boys will make your next birthday cake, how does that sound?"
All the adults laughed softly, even Hizashi and Hiashi who were seated at the island finishing up their meal since there hadn't been any room at the dining room table.
"Ah don't worry about it Neji. Did I ever tell you your mother was a terrible baker? That woman could cook some of the best meals in the world, but baking? After she tried to make Christmas cookies one year, I just told her to please, for everyone's sake, buy them; I didn't care if it was Girl Scout cookies." Hizashi reminisced fondly.
As they cleared away all the dirty plates and cutlery, Naruto pulled out the infamous cake from the fridge and went to place it on the dining room table. But as he passed Hinata, he softly whispered, "Don't worry. I got your favourite cinnamon bun rolls too. You can have them later and they are all for you."
Hinata gave him a beaming smile, leaning over to kiss his cheek softly before heading towards the kitchen to tidy the rest of the items up.
"You did send your grandfather an invitation for today, right Hinata?" Hiashi asked hesitantly while tossing his plate into the garbage.
Hinata nodded, "I did. But as per usual he said he wasn't feeling well and that he was busy. I even offered for Naruto or Kono to pick him up at his retirement home, but he still refused.
Hiashi nodded as if he had already been expecting what her answer was going to be.
Hanabi on the other hand, let out a rather loud huff, "Is he still sulking about that night? It's been over 8 years since we had the whole big family blowout in the living room. I know I was a bit aggressive demanding to know more about Grandma Haruka, but you think he would be over it by now."
Hiashi could only sigh, "I hate to say it, Hanabi, but that's just the way he always has been. Where do you think I got the attitude from? I know that day was rather . . . intense with a lot of shouting, emotions and finger-pointing." He paused for a moment and glanced at Naruto before continuing, "But I think we can all agree that while it did stir up some family drama, in the end, it was good to finally get all of the skeletons out of the closet; no more secrets within the Hyuuga family now."
At that moment, everyone came to a silent agreement while they finished tidying up the kitchen, but just then, a loud high-pitched squeal came from the basement that almost made all the adults cover their ears.
"Good lord Himiko has got pipes on her!" laughed Hizashi.
"Would you like me to go tell the children to quiet down?" asked Kono, "I'm sure my boys are the ones that are riling her up."
"No, that's quite alright my boy. Let the kids be free to run around and have fun." Hiashi said before grabbing a can of pop out of the fridge. Just as Naruto was grabbing candles from out of the cupboard beside his father-in-law, he heard the older man mumble, "In fact, that sound is simply music to my ears."
Old pale eyes briefly met with light blue ones, a quiet understanding passing between the two men. Naruto, smiling broadly simply gave the elder Hyuuga a wink before bustling over back to the dining room table to set up the candles.
End
Writers Note: I have been wanting to type this one out for months. Hours upon hours on the lawnmower trying to figure out how I was going to write it in the summer, to spending time shoveling snow this winter; so it's been in my writer's brain for quite some time. However, after writing that last little short, finally I was able to get this one out of my system.
For context!
1: A 30/30 happens during a lightning storm. If you see a lightning flash and within counting to 30, you hear the thunder, you and everyone on site are to evacuate to a covered area for 30 minutes. Sometimes they can last only 30 minutes, however, if it is quite the lightning and thunderstorm, they must restart the clock and the longest one I've had lasted over three hours.
2. My husband witnessed a horrific accident when he was very young, many years before we even met. He was coming home from school and was at a crosswalk with a mom and her daughter. They had hit the button, and with the lights flashing, most of the vehicles had stopped. Without looking, the little girl took off running before the mother could grasp her hand. Out of nowhere, a vehicle came speeding through the crosswalk. I'm sure you can put two and two together what exactly my husband saw happen. He tells me that he sees the incident in black and white, and he can't remember hearing any noise either in that moment, even though he knows there was a lot of people screaming. He was in such shock that he ended up walking away and heading off in an entirely different direction, not even close to where he lived at the time. When he finally 'came to', it took him a bit to realize what part of the city he was in before heading home.