Sparks Fly

by Lynns

It's been three years since Electricians Naruto and Hinata have seen each other. Will sparks fly between them as they endure the cold up north at the Konoha Energy Oilfield Site? Or will the obstacles they face be too much for them to take? Based on the Characters of the series Naruto and Naruto Shippuden in an Alternate Universe

5. Chapter 4

Series: Naruto

Pairings: NaruHina

Author: Lynns

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi

Type: Alternate Universe/Romance

*Warning, Sexual Content in this chapter! You have been told!*

Sparks Fly

Chapter 4

"You know, you don't have to be an asshole about it. We were just . . ."

Naruto didn't let Haku finish. Usually, he could deal with the apprentice's snarky attitude, but right now, he didn't have the patience for it. So without saying a word, he made a hasty decision by grabbing Hinata's hand and storming out of the cafeteria. At first, he was expecting Hinata to pull back or demand him to stop and release her hand . . . but she said nothing as he led her out of the cafeteria and into the main hallway.

At least she's not yelling at you to stop, but I don't want our evening to end yet! I still have to tell her what's on my mind, and I'm not going to have another opportunity to do this! Where can we go for privacy, though? The games room? No, usually people are playing in there well until 10pm. Outside? No, that's out of the question; it's freezing outside right now!

He knew people were staring at them and was surprised that no one tried to stop him or intervene. Dragging a young woman down the hallway was bound to turn some heads, but since no one approached them, he could only guess that Hinata was doing something to let them know she was okay. It no longer felt like he was dragging her along with him, but instead, she quickened her pace to keep up.

While his mind was racing, Naruto's feet automatically took him towards the familiar hall where his room was, his free hand reaching into his pocket to grab his room key to open the main door. As they entered Hallway B, it finally dawned on him how this was starting to look from Hinata's perspective.

Are you seriously just going to bring her to your room? Oh, that's the brightest idea you've ever had! Just drag her into your room and make her think you're about to force yourself on her! Damn it, she must be confused right now!

As they got closer and closer to his room, Naruto remembered the stairwell at the very end of the hall. It was rarely used, and only the housekeepers were down here. Knowing it was the better option, he took her there instead. Thankfully just like he thought, there was no one at the back stairwell, and they could finally talk in private.

Upon hearing the door close behind them, Naruto realized he was still holding Hinata's hand pretty tightly and released his grip. His heart was racing, and suddenly, the words he wanted to tell her weren't coming out. In fact, he couldn't think of anything to say right now! So he kept his back to her, unsure where to start the conversation.

Sighing in frustration, he took a few steps forward to give her some space and hoped that staring out the exit window on the door would clear his thoughts. However, with how dark it was outside, all he could see was his own face staring back at him and Hinata's small frame behind him. He hadn't expected to be interrupted like that by Konohamaru and the others. He didn't think they would have been looking for him at all when telling them he was busy at the end of the day.

"I'm really sorry about that, Hinata. I just didn't want our conversation to end there. I don't have a good way of getting a hold of you right now, and I just . . . I don't know, I panicked. Sorry for dragging you all the way here. No one ever uses this stairwell, and I knew we could at least get some privacy here." He whispered to her.

And now here we are in this stairwell. It's not the best spot, but it sure is a hell of a lot better than bringing her to my room.

He paused on that thought, and an instant blush spread across his cheeks. There was no denying he hadn't thought about it. It had crossed his mind a few times. However, the person he had fantasized about was behind him, and they were less than ten feet away from his room. Naruto couldn't deny that it was tempting to just skip his confession, kiss her here right now and propose she spend the night with him.

You know better than that . . .

His inner voice chimed in strongly, pushing his selfish thoughts out of the way. Hinata was not that kind of woman. She had the courage to tell him her feelings three years ago; he could at least give her the same respect and respond properly.

Taking a deep breath, he turned around to face her. Naruto couldn't help but notice how rosy her cheeks were as well; she looked so cute and innocent. Then, taking two steps forward, he was right in front of her.

Gently grasping her shoulders, he prepared to spill his heart out, "What I wanted to say is, Hinata I . . ."

The door to the exit area opened.

Hinata stepped away from him, and he released her shoulders, "Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me! Seriously?!"

Naruto looked over to see Sasuke standing in the doorway, looking back and forth between him and Hinata.

"Ah, there you are." His friend said in the usual monotone voice while looking at Hinata.

"No shit Sherlock! What do you want?!"

There were times Naruto saw Sasuke as a brother, but at this moment, he could have gladly killed him in cold blood with a smile on his face. Sasuke seemed unfazed by his temper, but he did shoot him an angry glare before speaking with Hinata, "Sorry to bother you, Hinata, but Gaara is looking for you. He needs to talk to you right away at the main entrance."

Is everyone in this fucking camp plotting against me?

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" snapped Naruto; his frustration level was about to burst through the roof.

Unfortunately, Hinata agreed to meet with Gaara, explaining that if he requested to see her this late in the evening, this was something urgent, and it couldn't wait. As much as he wanted to argue and tell her not to go, he knew deep down that she was right.

"Naruto, I promise to come watch you guys play basketball tomorrow, and then we can talk some more if you like. But right now, if Gaara wants to see me this late at night, it must be important." Hinata said in an uncompromising tone.

He felt defeated, but there was no use in arguing anymore. Sighing and looking at his watch, he finally gave in, "Yeah, your right. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Hinata, after we're done playing basketball. Have a good night."

"You too. And you have a goodnight as well, Sasuke." Hinata said before leaving.

Sasuke only gave her a nod of acknowledgment before she left the exit area, his dark eyes then turning to Naruto. As the door closed, his friend finally spoke to him, "Everything alright?"

Naruto had had enough for the evening. He gave his friend an eye roll and tried to storm past him so he could return to his room, but when Sasuke stopped him by fully standing in front of the door, the thought of just punching him was so overwhelming. He couldn't help but let out a frustrated laugh, "Oh yeah, everything is just fan-fucking-tastic, thanks for asking!" "Move, Sasuke!"

Instead, the other lead hand did not budge. Instead, Sasuke simply gave him a stern look and folded his arms, "Care to explain what's gotten you so worked up?"

Naruto really didn't want to talk to anyone, especially Sasuke. Not that he didn't trust his friend, but he knew that if he told him what was wrong, Sasuke would show him no sympathy and instead would be smacking him in the face with cold reality facts, which, quite frankly, he just wasn't in the mood for.

"Well, aren't you just sweet? So concerned for me, are you? No thanks, man, I just wanna go to bed. So could you move your ass out of the way, please?!"

Sasuke still didn't move and instead gave out a tired sigh, "Go change."

"Excuse me!?"

"I said go change! Meet me in the gym in ten minutes. I don't know what's got your feathers so ruffled up, but clearly, you need to vent some of that energy off. And bring your gloves."

Finally, Sasuke got out of the way and started walking down the hallway. Naruto clenched his teeth and almost told his friend to 'fuck off'. However, he decided against it. He hated to admit it, but Sasuke was right. Blowing off some steam was probably the best solution. Heading back to his room right now wasn't going to solve the problem, and instead, he would probably end up stewing about it all night, getting no sleep at all. Sighing in defeat, Naruto marched down the hallway to change.

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Naruto had been taking martial arts for as long as he could remember. Then, when he was about 10, his parents had started to enter him into tournaments, where he met Sasuke, Sakura, and Rock Lee. At first, he hated Sasuke with a passion. The black-haired kid always seemed to beat him easily without breaking a sweat. It had been frustrating at first, and many people had told him to give up and try something different.

However, he never gave up. Instead, he trained and worked harder, determined to beat Sasuke at least once. After two years of training, they finally met up again, and victory had been his. Soon after that, he and Sasuke became friends. Even though he didn't take classes anymore, it was still something he enjoyed on the side as part of his workout routine, with Sasuke usually as his sparring partner.

Once a shift, the two would meet up to spar, usually later in the evening, so they didn't have too many people staring or gawking at them. Tonight, the gym was deader than a graveyard, and Naruto was thankful for that. Once Sasuke was ready with the target mitts and told him to start, he let all of his frustrations out in punches and loud grunts. Sasuke seemed a little caught off guard at first. However, it didn't take his friend long to figure out his fighting rhythm. In fact, he started egging him on, telling Naruto to hit harder, and yell louder.

After an intense hour, Naruto finally collapsed to the floor, sweat rolling down his face as he gasped for air. His heart was racing, his hands felt numb from punching so hard, and the only thing he could taste was the salt of his own sweat; however, his mind finally felt clear. The anger and frustrations he had felt earlier were gone. Sasuke dropped the target mitts in his bag before grabbing their water bottles and tossing one to him, "Feel better now?"

Naruto smiled and nodded, twisting off the cap and downing all of his water in a matter of seconds. Then, opening his own water bottle, Sasuke took a seat near Naruto on a weight bench, taking a small sip before looking over at his friend, "If you want to talk about what's going on, I'll listen. Granted, Sakura is way better at this sort of thing than I am. You probably won't like what I'll have to say after, though."

Throwing the empty water bottle into the recycle bin, Naruto thought about Sasuke's offer for a moment but then politely refused, "Nah, you've done enough. Thanks for letting me beat the crap out of your hands. I think I'm just going to head to bed now."

He started to pack up their equipment but paused when Sasuke asked, "Do you like her?"

Naruto paused from picking up the target mitts. "What? Like who?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Don't be an idiot. Just answer the question, do you like her or not?"

His tired brain finally realized that he was talking about Hinata. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he answered, "I think so. She's really kind and sweet, but also a hard worker. Someone that I just . . . when I talk to her, and she's around me, I . . . god damn it. I don't know, man. I can't even begin to explain what it is I feel."

He expected Sasuke to call him an idiot again or make fun of him in some way. But the tongue-in-cheek attitude never came from him. Instead, his friend said, "Well, I'd say that's a sure sign that you at least have some sort of feelings for her. So the only advice I have for you is not to wait and don't play any word games. If you're interested in her, then tell her that. But if you just want a roll around in the sheets with her, don't play any mind games."

Naruto wasn't sure how to respond to Sasuke's advice; in fact, he was shocked that his friend said anything in the first place. Finally, he decided to open up a little bit, "She told me three years ago that she liked me. I was drunk and didn't know what she was talking about at the time. I know I shouldn't just be saying it back to her carelessly if I don't feel anything. But I do. I feel at least something for her. At least to the point I can see myself kiss her, or hold hands, or . . ."

"Okay, I get it. You can stop right there." Sasuke said with a bit of annoyance in his voice. "You're not the most observant person in the world, but the rest of us on the crew knew she had a crush on you. So take that information as you will, but like I said, just don't sit back and wait for something to happen."

And with that, Sasuke grabbed his water bottle and started to leave the gym. Naruto quickly scrambled after him.

They were both silent on the walk down the hallway and back to their own personal rooms, only giving his friend a wave goodnight before opening the door. Naruto's room was dark and quiet when he walked inside, giving it almost a lonely feeling when he closed the door behind him.

Naruto debated hopping into the shower first; however, he felt just so tired both emotionally and physically that all he wanted to do was collapse on his bed. Dropping his gym bag on the floor, he turned on the small light by the sink to quickly brush his teeth. While he was glad to let off some steam at the gym, he couldn't help but still feel disappointed with the way his conversation had ended with Hinata.

I can't help but wonder what Gaara needed to talk to her about so late in the evening. At least we sort of have a meet-up time tomorrow. She promised to come watch us play basketball, so at least I will get to see her then. Then again, I guess it really is none of my business . . .

Giving his face a quick wash, Naruto fell onto the bed. The sheets felt cool against his face as he shifted into a comfortable position to sleep in. His eyelids slowly started to close as they got heavier and heavier, his mind shutting down as he succumbed to sleep. Then, just as he felt like he was about to drift off, there was a loud knock on the door.

"Fuck me!" hissed Naruto, almost jumping out of bed at the sudden loud noise. His mind was now wide awake, and his heart felt like it would burst through his chest. Taking a few deep breaths, he crawled out of bed and headed towards the door, not really considering the fact that all he was wearing were boxers. At first, he was about to call out and ask who was at the door but decided against it. He didn't want to wake any of his neighbours up. Feeling irritated that someone was banging on his door late at night, Naruto cracked the door open and hissed, "What?!"

Standing outside was Hinata. She wasn't looking at him directly, but her eyes were slightly down, staring at his chest. A deep blush was spread across her cheeks, and while she was biting her lip, her small hands were playing with the hem of her dark blue sweatshirt. Whatever words he had planned to say to his nighttime visitor vanished, and instead, panic started to creep in. He looked up and down the hallway, almost expecting to see someone following her . . . but there was no one.

"Are you okay, Hinata? Is everything alright?" Naruto whispered down to her.

He started to wonder how on earth she had gotten back into the hallway without a room card or even how she had found his room, but all those questions were put on hold when she suddenly stepped forward and gently pushed herself into his room. A small part of him wanted to stop her, but he didn't, and the next moment she was standing in the middle of his room. Naruto felt he was at a crossroads and that the next decision he made would be huge. Yet, part of him felt happiness and excitement that she was here.

Desires that he had kept in the back of his mind came bursting forward. He wanted to step towards her, run his fingers through her long hair and kiss those lips, wanting to discover what she tasted like and make her forget that Kiba had kissed her in the first place. The urge was so overwhelming that he almost gave in to it, but then, of course, the voice of reason crept into his mind. What if she wasn't here for that? What if something was terribly wrong, and she was terrified at the moment?

He opened his mouth to ask if she was okay again, but the words he wanted to say died in his throat. Hinata was unzipping the sweatshirt she was wearing, pulling it off, and letting it drop to the floor. She wasn't wearing anything revealing underneath, just a simple dark V-neck t-shirt that gave him a rather generous view of her chest and hugged her upper body tightly. Even though the room was still dark and the only light coming in was under the door from the hallway, he could still make out the dark blush on her cheeks. She stepped towards him, but his heel contacted the door when he tried to step back. Naruto held his breath when her hand reached up to caress his cheek, her eyes looking up at him with a longing he had never seen before. Fingertips gently ran along his cheek and neck, slowly making their way down to his shoulders and chest.

His breathing came out in short, heavy pants. Hands were clenched by his sides, not daring to move yet, afraid of how he would react if she continued to touch him like this. Again he opened his mouth to speak, but she didn't seem to want to talk. Pale violet eyes closed before she stood up on her tiptoes, moving in to kiss him gently.

The moment their lips touched, Naruto felt his mind snap.

Any rational thoughts that were inside his mind were thrown entirely out the window. His arms snaked around her waist and into her hair as he deepened the kiss. A small squeak escaped from her as he suddenly took control, but she didn't seem to mind.

Naruto closed his eyes and let himself get lost at the feel of her body pressed against his. The smell of her natural scent and the taste of her lips against his was driving him wild. He pulled her closer to him, feeling her chest pressed tightly against his. As their lips danced, it made his knees buckle slightly, and he almost fell to the floor. Without hesitation, he picked her up and brought her closer to the bed, her legs suddenly wrapping around his waist. Naruto couldn't help the groan that left his lips when he felt her thighs squeezing his hips.

Sitting on the bed with Hinata in his lap, Naruto once again began to ravish her mouth with his. Her hands felt like they were everywhere; over his upper body, running across his scalp, across his shoulders, and up to his back.

Time felt as if it stood still.

Naruto could only hear her fast breathing and soft moans against his mouth. He felt himself slipping further and further into the dark pit of desire, wanting to get lost in the depths of pleasure with the woman sitting in his lap.

Naruto couldn't deny it anymore. He wanted her completely, right here, right now.

He moved her hair out of the way to kiss and nibble on her neck, a low groan leaving her lips while her hands dug into his shoulders. His hands slipped under her shirt, clumsily fumbling with the back of her bra as his lips continued to ravish her skin.

Finally, the clasps came undone. He briefly pulled away from her, his fingers finding the hem of her shirt, and gently pulled it over her head along with her bra. His eyes couldn't help but immediately look down at her chest. He couldn't see them clearly in the darkened room, but he could still make out their shape and how tempting they looked to touch. His breath hitched, and he looked back into her eyes, asking silently if he could touch them.

Hinata looked nervous, but her small hand found his and gently placed it on her right breast. She let out a gasp, and it drove Naruto over the edge. With his left arm supporting her back, he gently bent her backwards, still grasping her breast in his right hand while his lips latched onto the other nipple. Hinata's head was tilted back, her one hand grasped onto his right bicep while the other she used to cover her mouth.

His tongue, lips, and hands explored the curves of her upper body, and he couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips from the sounds of muffled pleasure coming from her mouth. He wanted more . . . he needed more of her. The pulsating throb between his legs was almost becoming too much to bear.

He pulled her back towards him and pushed her hand out of the way so he could kiss her again. Naruto felt like he was drunk when he tasted her again. His mind was clouded from the pleasure and ecstasy rippling through his body. He couldn't tell what was right or left, up or down. Hands found their way to the top of her jeans, tracing along the edges until they stopped at the button holding them closed.

Every fibre of his being wanted to just rip off her pants, roll her onto her back and become one with her; however, he held back. Deep down, he knew he needed to be gentle with her and take things a little more slowly than what his rushed mind was thinking. So, once again, he pulled back from her, eyes searching hers for permission, when he gave a slight tug on the button of her jeans.

She looked embarrassed, her eyes glancing to the side and then back to him, looking conflicted about what she wanted to do next. Before he could speak, she gave a small nod that he was allowed to continue. The breath he was holding escaped as a soft moan, and he kissed her deeply. His hands continued where they left off, pulling at the jeans button and zipper.

At first, he wanted to just pull the garment off, but curiosity got the better of him, and he wanted, no, needed to find out what she felt like down there. His hand slipped in, feeling the smooth skin of her lower abdomen but also the soft yet coarse hair between her legs. As his fingers slipped deeper, he couldn't help the hitched breath he let out when he felt how wet she was. Hinata let out a sound he had never heard a woman make before, and it set off something deep within him. His fingers slipped deeper past her folds, ever so slowly, until he was inside her. The erection between his legs throbbed painfully as he felt how hot and wet she was with his hand. Experimentally he pulled his finger back slightly before pushing it back in; Hinata's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open in a silent moan. She started to move her hips in time with his hand, rocking back and forth on the bed.

There was still so much he wanted to say to her. He had so many questions, things he needed to know and tell her. However, all of his troubles and concerns were gone. His mental board was wiped clean from his mind as he relished in this moment. It didn't matter right now . . . all he wanted was to be with her.

Eyes shut tightly, and he gasped for air upon feeling her inner muscles tighten around his finger. This was it; he couldn't hold back any longer. The feel of her pressed against him, touching her in places only lovers did, and the sound of her muffled moans against her hand was driving him wild.

"God, Hinata . . ." he whispered, feeling the faint scratching of her nails down his back.

"Hinata, huh? Calling out her name again, I see."

Naruto froze, and his eyes snapped open.

Pulling away, he gasped upon seeing Hinata was no longer in front of him, but instead, it was Naomi. Her green eyes pierced through him with a seductive smile on her face.

"I wonder how she'd respond if she only knew the truth. Do you think that sweet, innocent girl would like you still if she knew about all the dirty thoughts you have of her like this? How do you think she would react if she knew what happened between us?"

He felt like he was falling, and then . . .

BAM!

Naruto's head collided with the floor.

He was alone in his room, pillows had fallen off the bed, and the blanket was weirdly wrapped around his legs.

Cursing loudly, he scrambled into a sitting position. His eyes darted left and right as his brain tried to understand what was happening. He growled in frustration. His head was now pounding, and his heart was racing from the very realistic dream, but a part of him was thankful that that's all it was.

Getting to his feet, Naruto grabbed his phone and checked the time. Thankfully it was 4am and still not the middle of the night. He thought of just getting dressed and heading down for breakfast. However, the tent he was pitching between his legs was to the point of being extremely uncomfortable.

Sighing, Naruto snatched the towel off the rack and headed towards the shower, the dream still fresh in his mind.

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The winds whipped furiously across the pad, swirling up the old and new snow, which caused it to become a complete whiteout. As Naruto trudged across, he couldn't even make out the area's tree line. He was just able to make out the lunch trailers in the distance and the pipeline he was walking down. Pulling his face mask up further, he called out to some of the guys pulling cable, telling them to make sure they took their warm-up breaks at regular intervals. They gave him a thumbs up that they understood and continued pulling the power cables in the bottom of the two trays that ran the length of the pad.

Naruto made his way toward the tool and material trailer. He needed to look at the notes he had taken earlier that morning and didn't want them blowing away in the wind. As he walked up the steps, a black truck in the distance caught his attention. He didn't recognize it and watched as it stopped by the foreman's trailer. Someone dressed in full winter gear slipped out and went inside to talk to Shino, most likely to sign onto the pad permit. Feeling it really wasn't any of his business, Naruto walked inside the tool trailer and let out a sigh of relief when he felt the heat was on full blast.

Pulling off his snow-covered hard hat and toque, he placed them on the floor to dry before grabbing his clipboard. Walking over to the makeshift desk, Naruto's eyes scanned down the piece of paper, checking off any work that had been completed for the day. When he came across the line 'Transformer Technician arriving?' he paused and realized that must have been the person who had just arrived on the pad. Shino had been quite worried that the technician wouldn't make it on site due to the snowstorm, but it seems they had made it safely without any issues.

Wanting to confirm, Naruto pulled his radio out. "Shino, do you copy?"

"Go for Shino."

"I'm assuming the person who just arrived is from Hyuuga Power and wants to test the three transformers on the platforms?"

There was a long pause, and Naruto was about to repeat himself; sometimes, the wind caused their radios to cut out, but Shino's voice crackled through the speaker before he could ask again. "Yes. I've sent them to platform one to begin testing. They may need some help, so if none of the apprentices are free, could you give them a hand?"

Naruto sighed, "Yeah, sure, I can do that. Also, I don't think the guys are going to get a lot done with the cable pull today. The weather is being a real pain right now."

"Ten-four, and don't worry about that. Just make sure the guys are taking their breaks. I don't want any of them to get frostbite out there."

"Already did that, thanks, Shino."

Putting his radio away, Naruto let out another sigh as he looked back outside. He wasn't looking forward to going back out there, but at least he would get some coverage on top of the platforms. Unfortunately, the scaffolding crew still couldn't make it out to build the majority of the work they needed. But Naomi had been at least convinced they needed small shelters on each of the platforms so they could work on the Transformers, Heat Trace Control Panels, Lighting Panels, and Contactor Panels.

Still, he wanted to wait at least a few more minutes before making his way back into the freezing cold weather. He stretched his arms above his head and started to walk back and forth across the trailer while his toes warmed up. As he marched back and forth, his mind wandered back to the early hours of the morning and the dream he had. A frown formed on his lips.

What would Hinata think if she knew I dreamt about her like that? She's just so sweet, kind, and innocent. If she knew the dirty thoughts I had about her, heh, she probably would be disgusted by me. I'm no better than any other guy up here . . .

He tried to forget about the dream and concentrate on his work, but of course, it would be forever burned in the back of his mind. At first, he felt a little sick to his stomach at the thought of doing that with Naomi; now, that part of the dream he wished would go away for all eternity.

However, it was another thought that made him jealous and angry. Which was someone else touching Hinata like that. He still wasn't sure what was going on between Hinata and Kiba yet. Naruto had been upset that he had seen Kiba kiss her, and his immediate reaction was to assume they were an item. But the more he thought about it, the more he doubted they were.

Kiba was the one that had initiated the kiss, and Hinata didn't react to the contact at all. Had Kiba just confessed, and Hinata wasn't expecting it? Were they dating now? There were so many questions that he wanted to ask her.

But there was one thing that he knew for sure, and that was he didn't like the idea of the two of them being intimate like he had been with her in his dream. Just thinking about it made his blood boil.

No . . . no, I don't want that. I don't want to think of them like that together . . . him touching her all over and being inside of her. If they are a couple, would I even be able to tell them congratulations? Would I be able to continue working beside Kiba if I knew he was doing 'that' to her?

Shaking his head, Naruto briefly gave himself shit for thinking of it in the first place. There was no proof that they were together, and for now, he was just creating unwanted drama in his own head. Naruto grabbed his face mask and hard hat, not wanting to think about it anymore. They were still a bit damp, but he pulled it over the top of his head anyways before marching back outside.

Spotting the black truck parked beside platform one, Naruto made his way towards it. He wasn't exactly looking forward to helping the technician but hoped they at least were a little more friendly than the last one. Konohamaru had complained that the last one on site, who had been very knowledgeable, also had a bit of an anger problem. Apparently, this person wouldn't stop talking about all the woes in their life and complained about every single little thing. He mentally crossed his fingers and prayed that this was someone different.

Climbing the stairs to the platform, Naruto reached forward to pull open the makeshift door made out of scaffolding tubing and tarp. While it wasn't any warmer inside of the shelter, it was at least better than being out in the raging wind.

The technician was dressed in full winter gear from head to toe. Tools were spread neatly on the floor under a welding matt so they wouldn't fall through the grating, and the large meter that was needed to calibrate the transformers was already set up. One of the apprentices must have known the technician was coming because a tripod work lamp had been set up so they could see.

Naruto cleared his throat and approached the technician. "Hey there, my name's Naruto Uzumaki. I'm here to give you a hand if you need it.

When the technician turned around, he couldn't make out their face with all the winter gear they were wearing. Even the colour of their eyes was a mystery with the dark shades they had on. He even tried to read the name tag on the coveralls, but it was covered by the gas monitor.

Hesitantly, the technician shook his hand but then pointed to his throat and made a coughing sound.

"Oh, do you have a cold? No worries. I'll just stand off on the side until you need me, okay?"

The transformer technician nodded and then went back to their task. On the other hand, Naruto let out a mental sigh and tried to keep his face neutral.

Gosh darn it, it looks like I get to work with a weird one this time.

He leaned against the railing and simply waited for when he would be needed.

"Hey, Naruto! You in there?" called a voice from outside.

The door opened, and someone from Hyuuga Electric stepped inside. Naruto quickly realized it was Konohamaru, even before the apprentice could pull down his face mask. He stepped over to him and asked, "Everything alright, Kono?"

"Oh, yeah. Nothing's wrong, actually. But, man, it feels really nice in here without that nasty wind against your face. But, anyway! I just wanted to apologize to you about last night."

Naruto froze. He had almost forgotten about that. However, he quickly glanced at the transformer tech, who still had their back to them.

Crap. I can't talk about Hinata if this guy is here!

Naruto sighed, but before he said anything, he quickly grabbed his clipboard and flipped to a new page before starting to write. Konohamaru looked very confused, but his eyes widened in realization when he read Naruto's notes.

Don't say Hinata's name! This technician is with Hyuuga Power!

After Konohamaru nodded in agreement, Naruto finally spoke again.

"It's fine, Kono. Don't worry about it, okay? And I'm sorry for yelling at you guys. I'll be sure to apologize to Udon, Haku, and Daichi later today." Naruto said while keeping his voice down. He knew the transformer tech could hear them anyway, but he didn't want anyone else listening in on their conversation.

"No, we really are the ones who should be apologizing. You told us you were busy, and we still sought you out. I'm really sorry we ruined your dinner date."

"It wasn't a dinner date."

The apprentice rolled his eyes, "Come on, man. It's obvious that you're into her, especially with the way you were looking at her and then dragged her out of the cafeteria. You've told her how you feel, right?"

Naruto sighed again, "Well, I was about to say something to her, but then you four barged in and interrupted the moment. I tried to re-start and tell her again later, but it was Sasuke's turn to ruin our conversation." He pulled his safety glasses off to quickly wipe away the melted snow but gave the apprentice an irritated look.

Konohamaru flinched slightly, "Yeah, I figured. But, again, I'm really sorry about that. Are you able to meet up with her tonight?"

"Yeah. She's coming to watch us play basketball, and I'm really hoping to talk to her then. So after we are done playing, please, for the love of God, don't come looking for me. Haku's already been put on heat trace for the next three shifts, so be warned, I will do the same to you if I'm interrupted again."

Konohamaru gave him a mock salute. "I will make sure all of us are far away when you talk to her, but promise you'll properly introduce us to her when you're done. I'd like to meet the lucky lady who will be dating my idol."

Naruto frowned, "Well, now slow down there, buddy. Just because I like her doesn't mean she feels the same way."

Konohamaru laughed, "Oh yeah right."

"I'm serious, man. I'm not getting my hopes up here. She might already be with someone else."

"Like who? I didn't see her wearing a ring, and I'm pretty sure Sakura said she was single."

He sighed, "Look, I just know that someone else is really into her, and there's a high chance they have already asked her out. I'm hoping that's not the case, but . . ."

"Wait, you're not talking about Kiba, are you?"

Naruto froze, "How did you . . ."

Now it was Konohamaru's turn to sigh, "Well, you know how rumours spread up here like wildfire. I'm not sure who it was, but they claimed to have seen Kiba hugging her after the safety meeting. So, of course, immediately, the word was that she was Kiba's girlfriend, but I mean that just added to the rumours going around last shift."

Naruto was already getting tired of the pronoun game they were playing in trying not to say Hinata's name, but he couldn't risk it. Especially if the technician knew who Hinata was.

"Last shift?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, I guess I didn't tell you about that one." Konohamaru suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Word of mouth is that, Casanova Kiba . . ."

Naruto cut Kono off and growled, "What have I told you guys about calling him that!? For fuck sakes, the welders on this site sleep around more than he does! I'm starting to think you all were just jealous last year when he hooked up with that housekeeper now and then!"

"S-sorry, it just slipped out! But Haku claims he saw Kiba and the Suna Scaffold Project Manager stumbling into a hotel room last shift."

Naruto tried to act a little shocked, "Ah, I see."

"Look, I'm not trying to bash Kiba here. I know he's a decent guy, and he's been getting labelled as the player on site for whatever reason. But you know how the guys up here like to talk to and spread rumours. Especially when it comes to who's nailing who. The crew is convinced that Kiba slept with a married woman, and now he's panicking because his girlfriend is here on site."

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, his eyes widened as he tried to process what Konohamaru had just said. "Wait, what did you say?"

"Hmmm?"

"Naomi is married?!"

Konohamaru seemed confused by the panic in his voice, "That's what Kakashi said. When we were all at the bar that night, Shino warned us to stay clear of her. I'm not sure who she is married to, but apparently, she likes to have one-night stands with guys in the other trades and doesn't wear her ring around site. I mean, she is relatively new here, right? Been on site for only three months now, so I doubt that a lot of guys know that about her."

Naruto tried not to be bothered by this, "Well, let's not jump to conclusions here. I'm sure Kiba wasn't aware that the woman he slept with was married."

There was a moment of silence between the two. But then Kono asked, "You okay? I swear, even with your facemask up, it looks like you're about to puke."

He shook his head, "No, I'm fine."

"Wait a minute . . . you didn't sleep with her too, did you?"

With everything that was going on in Naruto's head, he finally snapped. "That's none of your business, Kono! But for the record, the only woman I want to sleep with and fuck senseless is currently in Tin Town sorting out the paperwork our last office administrator screwed up!"

There was a loud clang of a tool falling onto the metal grating, nearly giving the two of them a heart attack. The technician scrambled to pick up the pair of channel locks they had dropped, trying to act like nothing had happened.

Ah, damn it . . . that's right, I'm supposed to be helping this guy out. Plus, we shouldn't be having this conversation in the first place.

"Look, Kono, just forget about what I said, okay? Go back to making the light stands, and I'll talk to you later."

Konohamaru didn't argue. He simply nodded, pulled up his face mask and headed back outside to finish up his task.

Naruto let out a frustrated sigh again. The situation between himself and Hinata wasn't something he wanted to think about right now. He had a job to do and didn't want to make any mistakes.

It was then that he noticed that the technician wasn't moving. He first assumed it was because they were waiting for the meter to finish the surge test. However, the device wasn't even on. He bit off a groan of frustration and suddenly decided that he had better things to do than help this guy out.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, the radio in the transformer tech's bag went off.

"Hinata, do you copy?"

Naruto froze and glared at the radio.

Why is Gaara calling for Hinata over the radio? She should be in the same trailer as him right now.

The technician suddenly moved. They slowly reached down for the radio and brought it up. Naruto could only stand there petrified as the person in front of him answered Gaara back. He recognized her voice in immediately. "Hinata here, go ahead."

"Sorry to bother you, Hinata. Just wanted to make sure you made it to pad #12 safely and that everything was going smoothly."

"Yes, everything is fine so far. I'm just starting on the first transformer." She answered back.

"Excellent. Again, thank you for doing this for us on such short notice."

"Don't mention it. I'll give you a shout when I'm all done here and heading back to Tin Town."

"Ten-Four."

He watched as the person before him stood up after setting the radio back in the bag.

His body was trembling so much that he found it hard to speak, but Naruto somehow managed to stutter out, "H-Hinata? I-is that y-you?"

He didn't want to believe it was true, and he prayed to any god listening that he had just misheard and mistaken the technician's voice to be Hinata's. But the probability of that was impossible.

She turned around to face him very slowly, reaching up to remove the facemask and dark safety glasses, pierce blue eyes staring into pale violet ones.

"Hinata . . ." Naruto gasped. He could feel his body shaking more, and it wasn't from the cold weather outside. "What are you . . . I mean . . . you're the transformer technician for today?!"

She turned her eyes downward, looking at the meters and tools at her feet and nodded. "It's the reason Gaara asked for me last night. The technician they requested couldn't make it due to the weather. I just happened to have my tools and gear up with me just in case. And when Gaara found that out last night, he asked if I could test the transformers so they could get the proper paperwork in on time to the client."

Naruto's mind was reeling.

This is not happening . . . this is not . . . how is she here? That black truck, it's not one of ours! But, wait. . .Wait . . . Itachi said something about him driving a rental temporarily while his was being fixed . . . and that there might be a slight problem since it wasn't white like the rest of the fleet.

He didn't know what to do, and it almost felt like he was about to have a panic attack; it was suddenly hard for him to breathe properly.

There was no arguing that Hinata had clearly overheard his conversation with Kono, and now he didn't know what to say to her. Even with all her gear on, he could tell she was extremely uncomfortable around him at the moment. At first, he wanted to run away, go cower in the office or tool trailer until the end of the day.

No, don't you dare. You're not a coward . . . be a man and just talk to her!

The silence continued to stretch between the two of them. Naruto didn't quite know where to start, but decided to get one of the more obvious questions out of the way. Letting out a shaky sigh, he asked, "I take it you heard everything just now? Between Konohamaru and I?"

Hinata wouldn't look him in the eyes, but she at least gave him a curt nod.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto pulled down his face mask and took off his safety glasses so he could look at her properly, "I'm sorry, Hinata. You weren't meant to hear all of those things. At least, that's not the way I wanted to talk to you about them."

She didn't really respond, and he couldn't tell if she was just embarrassed, angry, or sad? He didn't know. In the last few minutes, he had spilled so much information about Kiba and practically unintentionally confessed that he had feelings for her.

While he felt bad talking about Kiba in front of Hinata like that, there was a dark, sinister part of his mind that was glad he did. Perhaps hearing that he had been a bit of a player would deter her from wanting to date him . . .

Naruto shook his head and berated himself for thinking such thoughts. He was still trying to figure out how to even start the conversation between them, but then a little voice inside his head chimed in. Why not start there? Start at the beginning.

Taking a deep breath, the first question he asked was one that had been bothering him for almost a year now. "Hinata, am I the reason that you didn't come back to Konoha Energy? Was it because I misunderstood your confession, and you didn't want to be around me anymore?"

In all honesty, he didn't want to know the answer, but when Hinata replied with a soft 'yes', his breath hitched and heart clenched painfully. But before he could apologize or ask anything else, Hinata said, "But, that's not something you need to feel guilty about, Naruto. It was a decision that I made. You didn't force me not to come back or anything like that. It's not that I didn't want to see you at all after that. But I wanted to have some space from you for a bit. I didn't plan for it to be three years."

Naruto tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "Y-yeah, I guess, but I still feel bad about it. None of this would have happened if I had responded to your confession properly."

Hinata set down the channel locks she was still holding onto in her bag. "What do you mean?"

Deciding to take a chance, he stepped closer to her so he was within reaching distance to place his hands on her shoulders. Naruto felt so relieved when she didn't pull away from him.

"I . . . I can't say this for sure, but if I hadn't been drunk when you told me you liked me, I wish I could say that I would have understood exactly what you were trying to say to me. Although, maybe not, I can be pretty thick sometimes. But what's done is done, and I can't change what I said to you, even though it was true. I really do think you're an amazing person and wonderful to work with. You're one hell of an electrician, and if we were working on anything that was live or dangerous, I would have complete trust in you to have my back.

"The same goes for our personal lives. I always knew that if I told you something that was bothering me or needed advice, you would help me wholeheartedly; I could trust you with anything. You're so kind and thoughtful that sometimes I feel we all may have taken advantage of that."

Naruto paused to take a few breaths to take a break and gather his thoughts once again.

I can't mess this up. I want her to understand what I'm trying to blabber out here.

"For the first few years, I only ever saw you as a friend, the same as everyone else on our crew. But then that year at the Christmas Party, when you were dressed to the nines, that's when how I saw you completely shifted. I no longer saw you as just a friend but as a woman. A woman who I thought maybe could be more to me. But when I realized this, I immediately pushed those thoughts down. You were my co-worker, top of the class and the niece and daughter of two successful electrical companies. I knew I didn't stand a chance; I'm just a simple electrician and all."

Hinata's eyes widened while he said all of this. She opened her mouth to speak, but he held out his hand to stop her. "Just hang on a second. Let me get this all out before you say anything. I value our friendship, Hinata, more than you could possibly imagine. I liked how things were between us, and I didn't want them to change. However, I also can't stand the thought of someone else being with you romantically. What I'm trying to say is that I do like you, Hinata, more than just a friend.

"It took me a year to figure this out, but I really do like you, Hinata. I'm lucky enough to have you as a friend, but I want more. I want to risk the possibility of losing our friendship and see if we can become something more. I know this isn't the most ideal place to be telling you this, but I need to be clear about how I feel about you. I don't want there to be any misunderstandings between us. I know you cared about me like that three years ago, and I guess, I'm just really hoping you still feel the same way . . . but if you don't, I understand."

He closed his eyes for the last part as he prepared for her to say something, whether it be in rejection or hearing that she still liked him in that way. What was only a few seconds felt like minutes to him, and he waited to hear her response.

Finally, he peeked one eye open to see if she had any reaction to his confession. A deep blush was across her cheeks, and she was staring at him with such wide, shocked eyes. And if he didn't know any better, it looked like she was about to cry.

"T-that's what you wanted to tell me last night?" she asked in a whispered voice.

"Y-yeah. I wanted to say that I like you and ask if maybe you wanted to start dating." Naruto admitted.

Suddenly tears started to slip down her cheeks, but he couldn't tell if they were sad or happy tears. "T-this isn't a joke, r-right? If this is some prank by Ino, or you're just saying these things because you feel sorry for me, I don't think my heart could handle it!"

Naruto felt a little hurt that she would think he would do something so cruel, but if he confessed to someone and it took them over three years to properly respond, he would probably be a bubbling mess too.

Deciding to be a little daring, he closed the distance between them and tightly wrapped his arms around her.

"I promise you this is no joke." He whispered beside her ear.

Naruto wasn't sure how Hinata was going to react to his embrace, but when she buried her head into his chest to hide her embarrassed and red face, he let out a mental sigh of relief and closed his eyes. Her body was shaking slightly, and he knew that she was crying. But before he could say anything or try to get re-confirmation that Hinata still DID like him, she lifted her head back up but would not look directly into his eyes, the blush on her cheeks increasing tenfold.

"T-then is it also true what you told Konohamaru? That . . . the only woman you wanted to sleep or f-fuck s-senseless is me?"

Now it was Naruto's turn for his cheeks to turn bright red.

Oh my god . . . I did say that out loud, didn't I!?

He almost wanted to push her away out of embarrassment, but something told him that would be a terrible idea, and she would take it wrong. Keeping his arms wrapped tightly around her, he swallowed the huge lump in his throat before responding, "Would it bother you if I said yes? That I think of you that way from time to time?"

If there had been snow nearby, it would have melted from the heat that was emanating off of both of their faces. However, she never loosed the grip her glove-covered hands had on his coat, and his arms kept her held in place.

"I-it doesn't bother me really . . . in fact, I find it very flattering. I just don't think I'm ready for that sort of thing right away . . . especially after just finding out how you feel about me." Hinata admitted softly.

Naruto felt like he could die of happiness right then and there; he was sailing so high on cloud nine that he was stumbling over his words like a middle schooler confessing his love, "Ah well . . . yes, of course! We shouldn't do it! I mean, no! That came out totally wrong! I do want to do that with you, but not right away! I just told you how I've felt, and it's been so long since we spent any real quality time together! But you're the only woman I've ever thought about doing that with, so I may seem a bit anxious when the time is right and . . ."

He wanted to punch himself in the face.

Naruto smacked himself in the face, "No . . .wait. I'm sorry, Hinata. I'm just a bumbling idiot right now. Please understand that I'm just so happy right now, and words can't describe what I'm feeling. I'm sorry."

Hinata wasn't looking at him now, and he had a sinking feeling that he had said too much. Also, it didn't help his nerves that she hadn't quite told him that she still liked him. His guts started to twist even more when a weird expression shifted across her face, one full of worry and fear.

"Naruto, I want to ask you something . . . and please don't lie to me. No matter how awful or awkward the truth is, I want to know."

He felt a shiver run down his spine, not liking how she was asking him this. But Naruto nodded his head and agreed he would tell her the truth.

"Have you ever been with a woman named Naomi? I ran into her yesterday, and she seemed to hint that you two have been together."

The colour drained from his face, and his mind tried to comprehend what was going on now. One moment he was the happiest guy on earth, but now he wanted nothing more than to bury himself in the most bottomless darkest hole there was. His mind tried to come up with a lie, anything that would make him seem like the good guy and Naomi the liar . . . but he couldn't do it. He could not lie to Hinata.

"I . . . I was with her last shift. It was during Jiraiya's retirement party . . . and I was completely drunk off my ass. I wish I could blame it all on the alcohol and say that I don't remember a thing, but I do. I wish it hadn't happened the way it did, and I sure as hell didn't know she was married!" He turned away from her, not wanting to see the disappointment on her face. "I know I screwed up big time, and I understand if that makes you really uncomfortable. I was just so drunk and the way she was coming onto me . . . I just couldn't resist her. At some point, I started thinking she was you, and it just . . ."

Naruto cut himself off.

No . . . don't tell her that . . . don't tell her that you called out her name in the middle of it. . .

"Did you, I mean . . . did you at least remember to use protection?"

Her question shocked him. "Protection?"

Now it was her turn to be shocked, "Well, you two slept together, right? So isn't it natural that you would want to protect yourself, right? Or did you . . . not?"

His mind was now racing, trying to grasp exactly what she was asking him.

"Wait . . . wait! Did Naomi say I had sex with her?" Naruto's temper started to flare.

Why that lying . . . no good . . . son of a . . .

Hinata's eyebrows furrowed together, then and she asked, "Naruto, what do you mean exactly when you said you were 'with her' that night?"

To Be Continued . . .