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

17. Chapter 16

Series: Naruto

Pairings: NaruHina

Author: Lynns

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi

Type: Alternate Universe/Romance

Sparks Fly

Chapter 16

Sixteen Months Later . . .

Qantas Air Flight 845 was cruising at 38,000 feet and had completed twelve hours of its thirteen and half hour flight time. It had taken off at 9:00am sharp from Sydney, Australia, and soon it would be landing at LAX, Los Angeles Airport, at roughly 6:00am. While the flight had been excruciating long, and Naruto was really looking forward to being back on the ground, he would still have to wait 40hrs until he landed his feet back on Canadian soil.

The flight he had booked home had been a last-minute plan, and he was grateful to have a seat in the first place. However, once he reached Los Angeles, he had over an 11hr layover until he could catch his next flight to Denver. After that Two-and-a-half-hour flight, he would have to wait for a total of 24 hours at the airport until he could catch his final flight back into Calgary. He had tried to find a more direct flight that didn't have as many stops or layover times, but his options had been limited. Only one flight had been a possibility that only had one stop, but he would have had to wait another four days to leave for home.

The four loud Rolls-Royce engines on the plane could barely be heard inside the fuselage, where over ninety percent of the passengers were sleeping. A few air stewardesses would walk down the aisles the odd time, asking anyone awake if they needed a beverage or another snack before landing.

Naruto had been awake the whole flight.

It wasn't that he didn't feel tired or needed sleep. However, for the past twelve hours, all he could think about was how much he had screwed up and made a fool of himself in front of Hinata.

I'm such a fucking moron . . .

The first 6 months of his new job with Orochimaru and Kabuto had been nerve-wracking but exciting at the same time. He had spent 30 days in Saudi Arabia at four Oilfield Sites; Ghawar, Shaybah, Safaniya, and Khurais. They were roughly at each site for 7 days before making the long trip back home, where they took a week off.

Then, near the end of February, he got to work a month in Texas, another month in Colorado, then the same with Montana, and finally in New Mexico, also having a week break in between each job. After that, they had a 40-day job in Mexico City. The job itself had been straightforward with them replacing supply lines to motors and transformers, but in the scorching July and August heat, there had been excruciating. No matter how much sunscreen Naruto attempted to apply, he always returned to his room with a new sunburn somewhere on his body.

At this point, being six months into his new job, Naruto had found a good pace and pretty much kept the same schedule every time he visited home. His first night was always at Hinata's apartment. Religiously she would come to the airport to pick him up, followed by tight hugs and passionate kisses in the parking lot the moment they reunited. Then, they would pick up a quick bite to eat before heading back to her place, where they spent the rest of their time in Hinata's bedroom.

Usually, Hinata would head into work for the day, sometimes a little late, much to her father's disapproval. Then, he would spend most of the day catching up with his friends and family before his girlfriend would return home from work.

It was still rough to be away from Hinata that long, but the seven days he usually got to spend at home made it all worth it. By the end of the seventh day, he and Hinata would hold each other with the odd, passionate kiss, usually shedding a few tears before she took him back to the airport. She would always walk him towards the security gate and say goodbye to him there. No matter how many times the same scenario occurred, Naruto found it always gut-wrenching to leave her behind.

Then, the jobs started getting longer.

The three men then headed to West Siberia in Russia, where they were in charge of a complete overhaul happening on the Priobakoye Oilfield Site that lasted 40 days. Immediately after that, though, they jumped a flight over to Kazakhstan at the Dakhan Oilfield Site; that was another 40 days. Not to mention, the time difference really affected his communication time with Hinata. Just as he was returning to his hotel from work, she was leaving to head to her job, then vice versa when she was getting home. It almost became a crazy game of telephone tag, but the two decided it was best to talk on the weekends when Hinata didn't work.

Those 80 days were terrible, usually working over 12-hour days. Getting up at 6am but did not get back to his room till close to 9pm. Naruto couldn't deny that October and November had been pure hell and that he never wanted to do something like that again. However, once the job was done, they returned home for a two-week break at the very beginning of December. He was pretty sure that the first two days, all he did was sleep in Hinata's bed and barely remembered anything that occurred besides resting and eating.

Before Christmas, he quickly flew back down to Texas with Kabuto for an easy 7-day job, but then he would be off until the New Year. Just before the start of his Christmas break, Kabuto and Orochimaru had sat him down to see if he wanted to continue to work with them or if he had had enough and wanted to return to Konoha Energy.

Naruto thought long and hard about it, and his only hold back from continuing to work with the two was if a similar job came up like with Russia and Kazakhstan; 80 straight days of work with barely any breaks or time off. Of course, Orochimaru couldn't promise that something like that wouldn't happen again, but according to his current schedule, it would play out more similar to the jobs in America; 30 days of work with 7 days off. That is until May, when Naruto's last job with them would be 40 days in Nigeria.

Hearing this, the blonde electrician agreed to continue working with them for the next six months and that he would meet them down in Wyoming for a 10-day job in January. The following two weeks were complete bliss for Naruto. He got to spend a lot of quality time with Hinata and all of his friends and family. At most gatherings, he got teased for having a dark tan since most of the places he had been were hot and sunny.

But what Naruto enjoyed most were the simple days when he and Hinata would go out for errands, stop by his favourite ramen shop for a bite, and then head back to her apartment to snuggle on the couch while watching a Christmas movie. He had been so thankful to be home not only for Christmas but to celebrate Hinata's Birthday as well.

However, it all came to an end much too soon, and begrudgingly, Naruto left everyone behind to head to Wyoming. Once again, Hinata took him to the airport, followed by hugs and tears before he boarded the plane. Naruto was now coming up on a year of doing this job, and he could already feel himself start to crack. He was finding it more and more difficult to leave the woman he loved behind.

At this point, Naruto couldn't deny that he had had some dark thoughts plague his brain the odd time. Such thoughts included Hinata cheating on him with someone from Head Office or that she was only putting on a charade and had fallen out of love with him. That she didn't want to hurt his feelings while he worked away, and the moment he was done working around the world, she would break up with him. However, every time he heard her voice on the phone or saw her face on FaceTime, those negative thoughts would disappear. Whenever he held her in his arms and made love to her, he never once had any of those thoughts. However, the moment he was back on a plane or sleeping in a lonely hotel room, it was all he could think about at night.

Just as they had been finishing up the job at Wyoming, Naruto already had a skip in his step with the thought of heading back home for seven days. However, all those wonderful thoughts and dreams came crashing down in a massive pile of fire. Orochimaru announced that he received an urgent call from a client in Australia and that they would be heading to the land down under as soon as they were finished in Wyoming.

To say Naruto was disappointed was a complete understatement. And to add the icing to the cake, Orochimaru couldn't tell his two co-workers how long they would be at this job until they arrived and assessed the situation.

While it was disheartening, and the long flight to their following location was unbelievably long, Naruto hoped that, like the other jobs he had been to, they would be there a maximum of 30 days. However, once they had arrived at the Kingfish Oilfield site, it became clear to Naruto that this would be the most demanding job yet. Not only did they want all of the motors on-site overhauled, but most if not all of the panels replaced too. Primarily because most of them contained snake and spider carcasses.

While Orochimaru and Kabuto took care of the motors, Naruto was tasked with replacing the panels along with a helper. Most days consisted of turning off power to the panel board he would be working on that day and then very cautiously opening it up; sometimes it was empty, other times there were dead spiders and snakes, or the one morning, a poisonous half-dead snake almost took a bite at his hand.

On top of it were the crocodiles. A few times, he would arrive at his area for the day, and a crocodile would be sleeping underneath the panel. Sometimes Animal Control was there right away, and he only had to wait an hour or two, but on other days it could be at least a four to five-hour wait.

When Naruto initially saw the job they had to do, Orochimaru figured it was at least 40-days. However, as the days went on, it became pretty clear that this would be their longest job yet.

Not 40 days.

Not 80 days.

110 days.

Naruto was mentally and physically exhausted.

Granted, it wasn't like they worked 110 days straight. Usually, they worked 6 days and then had Sunday off to rest. However, while it was nice having the day off, he still couldn't see Hinata or any of his friends or family. It had been okay talking to them all either over the phone or facetime, but Naruto found it harder and harder to keep working as time passed. Somedays were just a battle getting out of bed and putting his work gear on.

As the days went on, Naruto found that his own worst enemy was himself. When talking to Hinata, he would try to act positive and happy, but deep down, the negative thoughts that only occasionally filled his head were now full time. She would show him pictures of her family, girl dates with Ino and Sakura, or hanging out with Shino and Kiba.

She doesn't miss me . . . she seems fine and happy without me there . . .

The only glimmer of hope he had was when Orochimaru told him and Kabuto they would only need to be there for a minimum of two weeks and that if they worked extra hard, perhaps they could be home in less than 10 days.

However, the dam that held all his emotional anger came crumbling down four days ago. That evening, he had felt so tired and worn out; not to mention pulling the twentieth snake carcass from a panel just lightened his mood ever so much.

Hinata had asked if she could call him.

Deep down, he knew he should have told her no, but he hadn't spoken to her in over three days, and he knew she had gotten up extra early that morning to talk to him. Pushing down his emotions, Naruto told her it was fine, and then suddenly, her smiling face was on his phone. He tried to keep it brief with her, but once she heard that he would be home in about two weeks, she just couldn't stop talking about how excited she was to finally see him. His patients were wearing thin, and just as he was about to say goodbye, she mentioned that she and Hanabi had recently attended a spring party with their father and that she got to wear one of her mother's dresses. Naruto felt more obligated than curious and asked if she had a picture to show him.

Big mistake.

A few seconds later, the picture came through on his messenger. While Hinata talked about how uneventful it had been and how her father had made her and Hanabi meet everyone in the room, Naruto didn't hear a word; his blue eyes only focused on the picture.

He could easily tell it was staged, and whoever was behind the lens had purposefully set it up this way, but it still made his blood boil. Toneri stood in the middle, donning a very nice black suit with Hinata and Hanabi on either side of him. Hanabi wore a long green spaghetti strapped dress, while Hinata wore the black strapless dress her mother Himari had worn at her engagement party. Hiashi stood beside Hinata, and beside Hanabi was an older gentleman who looked like Toneri but with long white hair tied back in a ponytail; presumably Toneri's father. What made Naruto snap was seeing that Hinata was snuggled quite close to Toneri, and the field operator also had his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Granted, he had an arm wrapped around Hanabi too, but he paid no attention to it.

Just then, Hinata said she had some interesting news about Toneri, and that is when he completely snapped. Naruto couldn't even remember what it was he had said; something along the lines of she seemed so happy without him, that she didn't miss him at all, and they should just break things off right now. Before he could see or hear Hinata's reaction, he hung up the call and threw his phone against the wall.

Without a second thought, tears brimming on the edge of his eyes, Naruto stood up and left his hotel room. He was angry, hurt and just wanted to forget about everything for the night. He made his way down to the local pub, where he sat down with a few guys he had gotten to know over the last few months. They could tell he was upset and immediately started ordering him drinks. They attempted to ask what had happened a few times, but Naruto brushed them off and continued to down the Coopers Beer as if it were going out of style.

Naruto didn't remember making it back to his room; he could only assume that his friends at the pub had gotten him back safely. Thankfully it had been a day off because the next twelve hours were spent throwing up, drinking water, and attempting to recover from his hangover.

Once the pounding headache started to pass, it finally dawned on the blonde electrician what he had done the previous night. He had tried to stand but ended up immediately falling back onto the bathroom floor, his head still spinning. Growling in frustration, he crawled across the floor and desperately searched for his phone somewhere in his hotel room. It took a bit, but he finally located it behind the dresser. Immediately he tried to turn it on, but the battery was dead. He almost threw the phone again, but this time he kept his anger in check and instead located the power cord to charge it.

He tried to be patient as the minutes ticked by, but he couldn't take his eyes off the phone, waiting for the screen to light up so he could call and apologize profusely to his girlfriend.

But nothing happened.

Naruto tried turning the phone on again, using the reset technique and pulling the phone charger in and out. However, the damage had been done. His cellphone was completely wrecked and unusable.

His first instinct was to either head to Orochimaru or Kabuto's room and see if he could borrow their phone for a little bit. However, just as he was putting his shoes on, it suddenly dawned on Naruto that, off the top of his head, he couldn't remember Hinata's or anyone's phone number for that matter. He then proceeded to tear apart the drawers and suitcases in his room, desperately searching for a scrap of paper that he may have written someone's number on, but he found nothing.

Naruto collapsed onto his bed and cussed himself out for being such a selfish idiot.

The following day, when he met up with his two co-workers, he requested if they could have a serious talk before starting work. Naruto didn't go into details about what had transpired between him and Hinata, but he did tell Orochimaru that this job had utterly worn him out and that he had reached his breaking point. He apologized but told them he just couldn't do another job far away and that he would not be joining them in Nigeria after this.

Orochimaru said that he sympathized with him and admitted that this was one of the most challenging jobs he had taken on in a long time. In fact, once they were finished here, they would be heading back home for at least a month's break. However, while he and Kabuto still had another week left of work with the motors, he told Naruto that if he wished, he could go home in three days; that is if he got the rest of the panels replaced.

The goal was now set, and Naruto was determined to finish all his work.

The plane tickets were booked, and Naruto didn't care how long his days were now; he only cared about getting home as fast as possible. To the point that he sometimes forgot some of the safety protocols. The second last panel he had to replace, he didn't even bother with a safety check of the area and just started working on it once he confirmed there was no power. A worker passing by an hour later started screaming at him to stop because there was a crocodile less than ten feet away from him, sleeping underneath one of the motors nearby. Needless to say, Kabuto gave him quite the tongue lashing about being reckless and putting himself in danger.

Then finally, on day 110, he was free to head home.

Orochimaru promised to ship his tools home the next day and then asked if he should call Jiraiya to let him know he was on his way back. He politely refused and told his now ex-boss that he would contact everyone once he got home.

As his flight took off that morning, Naruto watched as he left the Sydney airport behind and breathed a sigh of relief that he was now on his way home.

Now that he was twelve and a half hours into the flight, Naruto grumbled and tried to stretch his legs as best he could. However, being seated in the middle with passengers on either side of you made this task extremely difficult, especially when they were all asleep.

Just then, the pilot's voice came softly over the intercom.

"Good Morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. This is Roger, your captain speaking. We are just starting our descent into LAX airport. The skies are clear and sunny, the weather is 65 Degrees Fahrenheit, and we should be landing right on time. If you could please put your seats in their upright position and fasten your seat belts while we prepare for landing."

Slowly the other passengers started to wake up, either by the flight attendants or their family members. Naruto clipped his seatbelt together and then pulled out his broken phone to see if it had magically started working again for the one-hundredth time. However, he was only met with a black screen.

Before he had left the land down under, he had tried taking it to a technician to see if there was any hope of fixing it. However, he was dealt with the sad reality that his phone was beyond repair. It was out of the question to purchase one here, and so he would have to wait until he was back on Canadian soil.

In less than an hour, the plane landed, and Naruto rushed as quickly as he could through LAX, which was no small feat with how huge the airport was. He found the nearest ticket counter and tried as best as possible to see if there were any direct flights from Los Angeles to Calgary. He tried telling the ticket girl that he didn't care about the amount and just wanted to get home as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, there were no direct flights, and his best option was to stick to his original flight plan. He cursed loudly and almost slammed his fist on the counter; the woman that had been helping him looked like she was about to call security. Naruto quickly apologized and briefly explained that he was just in a rush to make amends with his girlfriend. Feeling defeated, Naruto made his way over to transfer flights and identified his luggage on a screen to be sent to the right plane. Then finally, he found a place in the airport to chill until his flight was ready to take off in ten hours.

The next forty hours were going to feel like hell to him.

000000000000000

Friday's at the Hyuuga Power and Electric Head Office were usually easy going. So much, in fact, that they made it casual Friday, meaning you could wear jeans to work instead of dress pants. Also, so long as there were no urgent phone calls, most of the staff would head home just after 1pm to enjoy the weekend with their friends and family. However, the office wasn't completely empty as there needed to be some people there until 4pm.

Neji was one of those people.

His office was right by the stairs and elevator. Not only as a means to keep an eye on who entered and exited the area but more so that he could wish his staff a good morning when they arrived and a good evening when they left. Some workers saw it as a means for him to watch people like a hawk and ensure they never left work early or arrived late.

However, Neji didn't see it that way.

Maybe someone needed to leave early to beat the rush hour traffic to an appointment or pick their kids up from school. Or perhaps some arrived late because they got stuck in traffic, or they just had a hard time locating their keys that morning. He was never the type of boss to lash the whip on someone over something so trivial. Life was always unpredictable and affected everybody; no need to sweat over the small stuff. Everyone was an adult here, and Neji knew he didn't have to babysit anyone here so long as they all worked together and did their job. With that being said, if he did notice that someone was abusing the system and always coming in late or leaving early, then he was sure to have a private conversation with them to make sure it didn't become a force of habit.

As 2pm hit, one of his employees from accounting walked towards the stairs, wishing him a good day and a good weekend.

"You too, Shota. Have a nice weekend with your wife and kids." Neji waved at the young man before looking back at the paperwork on his desk.

His door was always open, and so was the one window that looked into the entire office on the 2nd floor; his father's office was on the 3rd floor. However, if the odd time his door was shut and the blinds were down, that meant he didn't want anyone to disturb him.

A loud rumble outside caught his attention briefly, and it was soon followed by a loud crack of lightning. The lights in his office flickered softly, and then suddenly, the sky opened up to let the rain come pouring down. It had been a bit dry during April this year, and now that it was May, it was good to finally see some rainfall. However, he had hoped it would hold off until later in the evening.

With a sigh, he turned back to his desk and reached for his cell phone that was face down in the corner.

So much for having dinner out on the patio with Sora after work. I should call the restaurant here real soon and see if I can switch our reservation to being inside now.

Four months ago, Neji had taken the leap of fate and asked a young woman at the coffee shop he always went to after work to go out with him. For over a year, they always seemed to run into each other. He had practically almost knocked her over after receiving his java and heading for the door. Her curly dark hair and grey eyes were very hard to miss and caught his attention quickly. After apologizing profusely, she waved him off, saying it was no big deal, and wished him a good night. After that, he practically saw her every weekday evening.

The first few weeks, it was simple talk with 'Good Evening and 'After You' when getting in line. Then it turned into small talk of giving each other their names and asking the other one how their day was and if they had any plans for the evening or weekend. Then it levelled up to learning more about her and discussing what they did for a living; she was an accountant at the BDO Accounting Agency across the street from the Hyuuga Power/Electric Head Office. By the sixth month, Neji realized that his highlight seemed to be going to the coffee shop and chatting with Sora at the end of every day.

He was the company's vice-president; he just couldn't seem to muster the will to ask her out. Even though to anyone else who walked by them, it looked like they were already dating. Instead of just grabbing their coffee to go, whoever arrived first would find a table and wait for the other to arrive. They would chat for about 15 – 20 minutes before disposing their cups and heading home for the evening.

It wasn't until one of his co-workers who was delivering him some documents asked about her and presumed that Sora was his girlfriend. Never had his face turned so red before, and he stuttered out that they were only acquaintances. But from that moment on, he couldn't deny that he wanted more from her.

Even though drinking was not permitted at work, he had snuck a bottle of dark rum into his office that one Friday. Then, when he was positive no one was around, he took a few shots of the dark liquor before making his way down and doing something he had never done before . . . ask a woman out.

The shocked look on Sora's face made it seem like she would say no, but she then lightly nudged him and asked what had taken him so long. And for the last four months, the two had been going steady, with every Friday evening being a night they tried a different restaurant in the city.

Just as he dialled the phone number to the Greek restaurant they were going to try tonight, Hanabi suddenly came marching into his office, closing the door behind her and sliding the blinds shut. His cousin whipped around and had her mouth open to say something, but he silenced her by raising his hand and then pointing to the phone against his ear. She gave a little pout, crossed her arms, and then plopped down on the seat in front of his desk with more force than necessary.

Neji rolled his eyes but kept his voice chipper as he talked to the hostess at the Greek restaurant and was relieved to hear that they could move their reservation to a table inside.

"Thank you so much, have a good evening," Neji said politely before hanging up the phone. "Well, Hanabi, thanks for stopping by and making yourself at home. What can I help you with?"

His cousin remained seated with her arms crossed, giving him an annoyed look. "Don't pretend like you haven't noticed."

Neji sighed and went back to looking at the paperwork on his desk. "Notice what?"

"Hinata! Something's wrong with her. All week she's been keeping her office door shut with the blinds down, only comes out if she is getting something off the printer or her lunch! And she's been working late hours!" Hanabi told him loudly, but he could hear the concern in her voice.

"Perhaps she has a lot to do this week and wants to be left alone. So mind your own business, Hanabi." Neji told his cousin disinterestedly.

"Neji! Something is going on! She and I had Sunday lunch plans, but she immediately cancelled them that morning. I've tried asking her if something is going on, but she won't tell me! So I'm starting to think it has something to do with Naruto!" Hanabi suddenly stood up and started pacing back and forth in his office.

He tried not to let on that he did indeed think it was weird for Hinata to act like this. In fact, he had heard a few things from other co-workers about how quiet she was being and keeping her distance, but . . .

"I understand you're concerned for your sister, but at the end of the day, Hinata is a grown woman. If something is bothering her, she will come to us." Neji said seriously and put his paperwork down to look his cousin directly in the eyes. Hanabi opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off. "And! Even if she and Naruto had an argument or a little tiff, that's none of our business. They are dealing with a long-distance relationship right now, and I can just picture maybe Naruto snapping at her, but heck wouldn't anyone if for the past 114 days you were dealing with spiders, snakes, and crocodiles?"

Hanabi's eyebrow started to twitch, and he could practically hear her teeth grinding together. Then her face switched to anger, and she was glaring at him with daggers in her eyes. His hands clenched into fists, and he prepared himself for the words about to leave her mouth.

When she loses her temper, the things she says can be real fucking nasty . . .

"Look, I get it that you've been distracted lately since you've got someone else sucking your dick aside from the managers in this building! But could you get off your high horse and give a shit about someone in your family who's hurting right now?" The younger Hyuuga snarled at him.

Neji stood up and slammed his hands down against his desk. "Hanabi Hyuuga!"

His cousin mimicked him, and they were practically nose to nose. "I will not just sit by and ignore my sister's emotional wellbeing! We did that enough to her growing up!"

The anger radiating through him dulled slightly at her truthful words. He opened his mouth to point out that she still had stepped over the line, but she cut him off.

"I know damn well that if either of us were acting like this, Hinata would be doing everything within her power to find out what's wrong and help us! So you're seriously okay with just standing by and doing nothing? Please, Neji!" Her last few words came out as if she were pleading with him.

Neji pushed himself away from her and turned around so he was looking out the window, watching the rain falling hard from the sky. He took a few deep breaths and covered his face with his hands. The fury running through him was so overwhelming; he had to hold himself back from lecturing his cousin to watch her temper and to think before she spoke. However, he knew that right now, it would do no good. She was fired up and prepared to take on anyone, even their fathers, who were currently out of town on business meetings for the week.

A loud rumble of thunder shook the building, and then a crack of lightning scattered across the sky, the lights flickering once again. Pale eyes glanced over to his left to look at the clock hanging on his wall. It was now almost 2:30pm. The only work he had left for the day was the current papers on his desk, but he had slowly taken his time with them to draw out the day. Letting out a sigh, he scratched the back of his head.

"You've tried talking with her? What makes you think she'll say anything to me?"

When he turned around, Hanabi was still glaring at him. "You're always the one who gives the best advice. I know Hinata is more wise and kind with her words, but maybe you can say something to her that will make her feel better? Or, at the very least, let her know that I'm not the only one worried about her!"

Neji could tell that his cousin was desperate. As he let out another sigh, he finally decided to give in to her request. "Fine. I will talk with her. However, don't be surprised if she doesn't tell me anything either. And when I go talk to her, I don't want you hovering by the door. Stay in your office, and I will come to find you if I learn anything."

His cousin's face changed from anger to relief. "You will?"

He crossed his arms. "I'm not doing this for you; I'm doing this for Hinata. So you really need to watch your mouth and count your lucky stars Hiashi isn't here right now."

Hanabi suddenly looked embarrassed and regretful. She looked down at the ground and opened her mouth for what he assumed was about to be an apology, but he stopped her.

"Save it. I'm still ticked at you. I'll hear your apology when you actually mean it. Right now, I'm going to check on Hinata." And without another word, Neji strode towards the door to his office, flung it open, and made his way headfirst to the stairs.

As he reached the fifth floor, he paused by a large mirror located by a few plants outside the small coffee room. He made sure his suit wasn't crooked or that his tie hadn't come undone when arguing with Hanabi, and he took a few deep breaths so Hinata didn't see him so uptight.

After a few more seconds, he took one last breath and casually walked toward his cousin's office. Out of everyone in the family, Hinata had the smallest place of work; however, on the other hand, she did have the most spectacular view of the city, with it being a corner office. Two of the four walls were completely windowed to look out onto the city. So during the evening, especially around Christmas time, you had a fantastic outlook of the colourful lights.

Neji rounded the corner and noticed that mostly everyone on this floor had gone home as well, except for a few of the accounts payable and receivable workers, who smiled and waved at him as he walked by. As he got closer to Hinata's office, he did notice that the blinds were down, and her door was three-quarters the way closed. Slowing down his pace, carefully listened in to make sure she wasn't having a conversation with someone or on the phone. When he was positive that she was alone, he gently knocked on the door and poked his head in. "Hinata?"

His cousin was staring intently at her computer screen, a blank expression on her face. When he caught her attention, and their eyes met, Hinata had no reaction to his presence. Inwardly, Neji flinched at how dead and expressionless she seemed.

Okay . . . I see that Hanabi had a point. Something is definitely wrong.

Trying to act normal, he smiled slightly and then pointed to the leather chair sitting opposite her. "May I?"

Hinata nodded and positioned herself more to the right so her computer monitor wouldn't be between them. Then, closing the door behind him, Neji took a seat and tried to start the conversation casually. "Almost done for the day?"

A sigh left his cousin's lips, and she shook her head. "Not even close. This week we had 40 new electricians for that new project with Kirigakure Industries starting in 14 days and another 20 guys for the expanding project at Konoha Energy. They all have to do different online training courses, and usually, I just group them together and select all the courses they need to take. However, the program is glitching out. I have tech support working on it, but they can't figure out the problem so far. So, I'm stuck doing each employee one at a time, and so far, I've done 10 in total."

Neji flinched and gave Hinata an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry, Hinata. I know I'm the one that asked you to cover for our Human Resources Administrator this week since she was on vacation, but I never imagined this would happen."

Usually, Hinata only dealt with matters on the Hyuuga Power side; however, when an employee was sick or needed vacation time with Hyuuga Electric, Hinata was usually the one to pick up the slack. Her ability to practically do any job within both companies always amazed him.

Hinata shrugged. "It happens. You don't need to apologize. I'll be sure to finish it by the end of the day."

Neji shook his head. "Oh no you don't. The most you are working till is 3pm, and then I want you out of this office. You need a break, Hinata. Hanabi said that you've been putting in overtime all of this week, but you're not going to today. I'm sure it will be fine if you finish everything on Monday. By then, Shiyori will be back, and she can give you a hand, or maybe tech support will have fixed the problem, and you won't have to go through all this."

His cousin didn't respond and merely looked down at her desk.

He suddenly felt like he had said something wrong, but on the other hand, it only proved Hanabi's point more that something was going on.

"Look, Hinata . . ." Neji stood up and walked around so he could properly face her. "We know something is wrong; you haven't been this shut-in since . . . well, High School. Hanabi is worried, and I can see why. I won't ask for details if you don't want to tell me, but is there anything I can do to help?"

Hinata continued to stare down, but at least this time, he could see her eyes brimming with emotion; sadness, fear, confliction. Unfortunately, though, she shook her head. "No. I'll be alright, Neji. But, thanks for asking."

Neji couldn't deny that he was pretty disappointed; for a moment there, he really thought she would open up and talk to him. However, sometimes he could read her like an open book, and it was quite apparent that whatever happened. It had something to do with someone she knew and trusted.

She did the same thing with us. We hurt her so badly, and yet it took almost 3 months of therapy for her to finally talk about all the horrible things we said and did. Meaning . . .

"Did you and Naruto have a fight?" He asked abruptly.

Hinata visibly flinched, and Neji knew he hit the nail on the head.

"I figured as much." He whispered more to himself. "When does he get home? In a few weeks?"

She nodded her head, and he could almost see unshed tears in her eyes.

Neji sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I won't ask what you argued about or what was said, but at least hear me out here. You know this job has been extremely tough on him. I know it's been really rough on you too, but if for over 100 days you had to pull dead carcasses out of panels, I'm sure that would wear you down too, right?

"I'm not saying that what he said was right or called for, or whatever it is you argued about wasn't relevant. Both of you are exhausted from the last 16 months of him mostly being gone and only coming home the odd time. I guess what I'm saying is don't take it to heart. If he said some hurtful things to you, I guarantee the day he gets home, he's going to show up at your place with a box of cinnamon rolls and probably a bouquet of flowers. Then he will fall to his knees and beg you for forgiveness. And Hinata, you make him work for it! Don't just forgive him like that, especially if he hurt your feelings. However, if it's vice versa, then you better prepare your wallet to buy him all the ramen he desires at Ichiraku."

He had hoped his words would have cheered her up a little bit; however, he couldn't help but feel guilty when a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Y-you're right . . . I know t-that you're right. B-but, I can't get a hold of him at all. N-no one can. W-we did have a fight, and I-I know that he was just stressed out. It's j-just he won't answer any of m-my calls, or S-Sakura, or S-Sasuke either." Hinata tried to stop herself from crying, but it was a losing battle. "I-I'm just so w-worried that something b-bad has happened to h-him."

Hinata's hands suddenly came up and covered her face while she cried in front of him.

Neji started to feel remorseful for saying anything, but on the other hand, he at least knew now what the problem was and why she had been so detached. He knelt down in front of her and pulled his cousin in for a tight hug. "Oh, Hinata. I'm sure he's fine. If something was wrong, you would have most definitely gotten a call about it. Maybe right now, he just doesn't want to talk to anyone? Or maybe something happened to his phone, and he can't use it? There are quite a few possibilities. However, if it's worrying you that much, I will see if I can get a hold of Jiraiya by the end of the day. I know he has Orochimaru's contact info, and I can make sure he's all in one piece. Sound good?"

Hinata still continued to tremble against him with her silent sobs, but he was relieved to feel the nod of her head.

He pulled back slightly and tugged at her hands so he could see her face; her eyes were puffy, and a drip of snot was running down her nose. "It's going to be alright, Hinata. In fact, I want you to go home right now. It's almost 3pm, and like I said, you've worked long enough. So I suggest you contact Hanabi, swing by your place, pack a bag, and then head over to her place for some wine and ice cream. After that, you two can watch some movies and have some sister time; I know she's still upset that you two didn't have lunch on Sunday."

She didn't really smile, but he could tell she liked the idea he was pitching.

"Finish up what you were doing, and then head out. I'll be back in 15 minutes, and if I don't see you gone, I will literally drag you to your car. Understand?"

Hinata let out a soft chuckle and then nodded her head. Her hands reached for the tissues on her desk to clean up the tears and snot on her face.

Neji smiled. "Good. Everything is going to be alright, Hinata. Trust me. Well, I had better get back to my office and finish up my paperwork so I'm not late for dinner tonight with Sora."

His cousin gave him a genuine smile back. "I hope you two have a wonderful time."

He nodded and started to head towards her office door but paused when he heard her phone alert go off. Her pale eyes lit up for a brief moment as she flipped the electronic device over to see who had texted her.

"Is it . . .?"

Hinata shook her head. "No. It's just Kiba."

"Ah, I see. So he's on days off right now? You should go have dinner with him and Shino this weekend too. I can't remember the last time you told me about meeting up with them."

She smiled sadly. "It has been a while since I saw either of them. Shino is normally free, but Kiba is usually busy."

"Well, even if it's just for a 15 min coffee meet-up, you should see them."

Hinata nodded.

"Alright, I'm heading back down now. Remember, 15 minutes, and then I'm coming back." He threatened half-heartedly.

His cousin smiled and waved him out. "I heard you the first time. I'll leave soon."

Neji turned around and started to make his way back to his office. While he hadn't fixed the problem by any means, he at least felt good that Hinata seemed to be in a better mood. However, the pleasant feelings he had were short-lived when he returned to his work area to see Hanabi waiting eagerly for his return.

Sighing in defeat, he closed the door behind him.

00000000000000000

The rain poured down on him, soaking his clothes almost instantly, but Naruto could care less. Thunder rumbled in the completely darkened sky, and the clouds were soon illuminated by a crack of lightning, making everyone in the area gasp from the spectacle.

Just a little over an hour ago, his plane had landed from Denver, and after a brief run through customs, he was finally home. Everyone exiting the airport was doing their best to try and avoid the rain and keep dry, but as soon as Naruto had walked outside, he had left his bags for a moment and stood under the thundering clouds.

It seldomly rained in Australia, or at least during the time he had been there, and right now, it felt like heaven feeling the raindrops on his face. It felt refreshing and took some of the tension away. He stayed like that for a few minutes, almost feeling like he was re-enacting the scene from The Shawshank Redemption when Andy Dufresne was finally free and was standing in the rain. He almost felt the same way; he was finally back home and free to do whatever he wanted.

Naruto was brought back to his senses by the sound of a car honking at him. He opened his eyes to see he was blocking the path of a yellow taxi. His face broke out into a smile, and he waved at the driver before stepping back under the covering where his bags were.

The driver, on the other hand, pulled up beside him and rolled his window down. "You alright there, buddy? Do you need a ride?"

He paused and realized that he did need a ride home but didn't have a means of calling a taxi or any of his friends. Naruto turned to the driver and nodded. "I do, actually. But I'm a little drenched."

The driver laughed. "I just placed some new plastic on the seats. Everyone is wet today. Hop in and tell me where you want to go."

The taxi trunk popped open, and Naruto immediately strode forward to place his two rolling suitcases in. Then, after slamming it shut, he crawled into the back seat and gave the taxi driver the address to his house. As Naruto slumped back in his seat, the driver took off to his childhood home.

For the most part, the ride there was quiet and peaceful. The taxi driver tried asking him the odd question, but he either picked up from Naruto's body language or nonchalant answers that his passenger just wasn't in the mood to talk. As the yellow cab drove through the city, Naruto kept his eyes out the window, watching the city lights and the lightning show in the sky.

He was exhausted and tried his best not to fall asleep in the warm, moving vehicle. Naruto had found some sleep while waiting at the airports during his layovers, but the chairs weren't that comfortable, and he had been too cheap to pay for a room while waiting for 24hrs in Denver. His body wanted nothing more than to close its eyes and fall into a deep slumber.

But I can't do that . . . not yet, at least.

Naruto pinched his cheek sharply, which forced him to focus. He had a goal in mind, and he prayed to any god listening that Hinata was in a forgiving mood tonight. His eyes glanced at the digital clock in the vehicle, 9:00pm.

A frown formed on his face, and he was somewhat disappointed with how late it was. He had pictured stopping by somewhere to pick Hinata up flowers and a box of cinnamon rolls in his head. Then, immediately heading to her apartment, getting on his hands and knees and telling her how much of an idiot he was before begging for her forgiveness.

I wouldn't blame her if she didn't forgive me right away. I was a complete ass to her on the phone, but I will do everything within my power to make it right.

Soon, the taxi finally pulled into the driveway of his parent's home.

After paying the driver, Naruto jogged with his two suitcases to the front door, found the hide-a-key box, and entered the darkened home. Placing his luggage away from the door, he didn't bother removing his shoes as he walked inside, immediately heading to where his truck keys were located.

Mom and dad won't be home until Monday. So I'll clean and tidy everything up before they come home.

Within minutes, Naruto had the keys and was pulling his truck out of the garage. It was covered in a thin layer of dust since he hadn't driven it in over three months; however, that was a problem that the rain solved relatively quickly. As soon as the garage door closed, Naruto hit the gas pedal and drove to Hinata's apartment as fast as he could.

On the way, he tried to think of what he was going to say and prepared himself for what her reaction might be. Obviously, she would be surprised; however, there was a huge chance she wouldn't want to talk or see him tonight. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and prayed that that wouldn't happen.

I just want to hold and kiss her. I need to show Hinata that I didn't mean anything that I said on the phone.

With it being so late in the evening, 9:30pm now, traffic was quite light, and in record time, he made it to the familiar building where Hinata lived. As he pulled around, his eyes immediately zoned onto the fifth floor and located which suite was hers. The lights were still on, and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.

He found the closest spot he could, not caring if it was a guest parking place or not, and immediately headed inside the building. From the front door to the elevator and all the way down the hallway on the fifth floor, he left puddles of water, but since he was so focused on seeing his girlfriend, Naruto was oblivious to the mess he was making.

As soon as he stood in front of apartment suite 524, Naruto froze as he was about to knock. Suddenly there was a lump in his throat and a sickly feeling in his stomach. His unwavering determination faltered slightly, and he was suddenly unsure what he wanted to do. Blue eyes darted up and down the hallway, briefly wondering if Hinata started to yell at him would it disturb her neighbours. Naruto shook his head and scolded himself for thinking of something so trivial in a moment like this.

Needless to say, though, instead of knocking, Naruto pulled out Hinata's key, which was attached to his truck lanyard. He inserted it quietly into the door and carefully unlocked the deadbolt. Gently, he opened the door and slipped inside without making too much noise. As he eased the door closed behind him, he quickly realized how even more idiotic this plan was. Now, he was probably about to jump scare Hinata, and her screaming would most likely catch the attention of all her neighbours, not only on this floor but the whole building.

Silently he cursed at himself, but his attention was soon focused on the lights coming down the hallway. The kitchen was dark, and while he couldn't see Hinata, he could hear her TV on and figured she was watching a show while sitting on the couch. A smile spread across his lips with anticipation that soon he would be able to see her and hopefully hold her in his arms.

This is it . . .

Just as Naruto leaned down to untie his boots, he froze, and his heart stopped completely.

A pair of large shoes were present beside the shoe rack, way too big to be Hinata's. They were sopping wet, meaning that they had been placed there today.

A cold chill ran up Naruto's back as he straightened up, his eyes still focused on the unfamiliar footwear sitting beside his girlfriend's shoes.

Unwanted thoughts and images suddenly started to flood into his mind.

Hinata kissing another man . . .

Naruto's hand clutched the front of his shirt. He suddenly couldn't breathe, and the room was starting to get hazy; from both fear and anger.

Just calm down, Uzumaki! You know Hinata's not like that! Maybe she just has Neji over to watch a movie? Or perhaps it's either Kiba or Shino?

And then he heard it.

The soft moan of a woman and the grunts of pleasure from a man.

Naruto's world was abruptly turned upside down. Everything that he thought he knew and believed was completely gone; he was empty. Tears started to form in his eyes, but before he could let out a noise, his hand came flying up to cover his mouth. Just hearing the noises from the living room was bad enough, but visibly seeing it and having it burned into his mind would break him; his imagination was already bad enough.

The thought of Hinata being physical with someone other than him made him sick, and soon he was fighting off urges to throw up. So silently, he suffered in the apartment entranceway, trying to control his emotions and the sounds coming from him while also being quiet so the two other occupants in the room wouldn't notice him.

He was unsure of what he was going to do, but one thought was obvious. Naruto needed to leave as soon as possible before anyone noticed him. It felt as if someone had their hands around his neck, choking the life out of him. He couldn't seem to get enough air into his lungs, and the room was spinning so fast it almost made his knees buckle.

I did this . . . I'm the one who broke her heart so badly . . .

Deep down, his more logical side tried to chime in that it wasn't completely his fault. While he did indeed lose his temper and yell at her that they needed to break up, it was shocking how fast she had walked into the arms of another man. However, with the emotional state he was currently in, there was no room for rational thinking.

Biting his lip, the blonde electrician slowly began to exit; his hand began to turn the doorknob. But then . . . a pleasured gasp tickled his ears.

"Ah . . .Kiba . . ."

Naruto went rigid.

The emptiness and sorrow he felt just moments ago was replaced by complete and raging anger. Not only was Hinata with someone else intimately, it was with a co-worker whom he not only trusted but considered to be a good friend. Gritting his teeth together, Naruto stormed down the hallway, not bothering to take his boots off as he stomped towards the living room.

Due to the noise he was making, he heard Kiba asking, 'What the hell is that?', followed by the female voice squeaking in fear. The only colour that Naruto was seeing was red, and his only goal right now was to beat the ever-loving shit out of the man who was fucking his girlfriend.

As Naruto entered the living room, his fists were clenched to start a fight, and he was ready to voice the anger and disgust he was feeling. However, all of that came to a screeching halt when his blue eyes drank in the scene before him.

Kiba was indeed here, his shirt unbuttoned, revealing his naked torso, and his face flushed from his previous activities. But it was the woman standing by the TV that had his complete attention.

It wasn't Hinata.

Her chocolate eyes were confused, her brown hair a little tangled, and she was awkwardly straightening her shirt while having her arms crossed over her chest. Which confused Naruto momentarily until he saw the black bra lying on the floor.

Kiba's dark eyes widened in realization. "Naruto?! What the . . . when did . . . how the . . . Jesus Christ, man! You gave us a fucking heart attack! I thought I was about to fight off an intruder!"

His co-worker's stunned voice brought Naruto out of his stupor, and while he was no longer as angry as before, he couldn't deny that he was rather ticked at what the couple had been doing in HINATA'S apartment. "I almost gave you a fucking heart attack?! Do you have any idea what I thought was fucking happening in here!? I wanted to surprise Hinata and I . . . Instead, I end up hearing . . ." Naruto couldn't finish the sentence. While he was pissed off, he was also unbelievably relieved, to the point that he almost fell to his knees.

It's not Hinata . . . she's not cheating on me . . . she's . . . oh thank god . . .

Kiba looked like he wanted to argue, but when his eyes darted over to the brown-haired woman, his face became even redder, and he looked down at the floor, rubbing the back of his head. Then, finally, he sighed before saying, "Sorry about that. I was about to give you shit for thinking that Hinata would ever cheat on you, but then again . . . this is her place, and of course that's the conclusion you would come to."

An awkward silence filled the room for a minute. Naruto had so many questions that he wasn't sure where to start, but before he could say anything, the woman in the room suddenly darted forward and picked up her bra off the floor.

"Ah, that's right. I guess I should probably introduce you to each other. Naruto, this is Tamaki, my girlfriend. Tamaki, this is Naruto, Hinata's boyfriend." Kiba awkwardly tried to rekindle the situation, and it kind of worked. The uncomfortable feeling in the room lifted just a smidge.

Naruto nodded his head to Tamaki but then turned his attention back to Kiba. "Why are the two of you here anyway? Isn't that disrespectful to be doing that on Hinata's couch? Where is she anyway?"

Kiba raised his hands up. "Easy there, champ. Your questions are well deserved; just give me a sec to answer them. Besides, don't lecture me about the appropriate places to get hot and heavy with your girlfriend. I'm sure you and Hinata have done it in lots of places you weren't supposed to after not seeing each other for a long time. This past month, I pulled a double shift, and this is the first time I've been alone with Tamaki!"

"Kiba!" his girlfriend yelped.

Clearing his throat, Kiba continued. "The house I live in with my sister and mom is getting renovated. Unfortunately, due to the rain, they weren't able to finish the stuff they were doing in the bedrooms, so for the next few nights, I needed to find a place to stay. Tamaki originally told me I could stay at her place; however, her roommate was less than thrilled. She didn't like the idea of me staying there.

"Anyways, I was bitching about it to Hinata this afternoon and that I wasn't looking forward to paying for a hotel over the weekend, but then she offered up her place. She said she had a rough week at work and that she was most likely going to spend the night at her sister's place."

Naruto's brain was still trying to process all that was going on, but he got the gist of it and turned to head back to his vehicle. "Got it. She's at her sister's."

As he started to march towards the door, Kiba suddenly lunged forward and grabbed his shoulder. "Whoa! I said she MIGHT be there. She wasn't sure if she was going there or to her father's place. Look, I know you wanted to surprise her, but in this case, just call her quick and see where she's at. I'd hate to see you go on a wild goose chase for nothing."

Naruto paused and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I can't."

Kiba's eyebrow arched in confusion. "You can't?"

Sighing, he pulled out his broken phone. "I broke it last Saturday, and I haven't been able to contact Hinata since. I can't remember her phone number and I . . . we . . ." He paused, debating whether he let Kiba know what was going on between him and Hinata.

However, his expression must have been completely obvious and given him away. Kiba suddenly let out a sigh and scratched his head. "Let me guess. You two had a fight, and you broke your phone in your rage. So now, she's mad at you, and you're not sure if she even wants to talk to you. I was wondering why she sounded so sombre on the phone today; now I can see why."

Naruto winced as if he had been punched, but his friend was entirely right.

Kiba looked over at Tamaki briefly and then back to Naruto. "Alright, give me a second here." The dark-haired electrician entered the kitchen but came back almost immediately with his phone in his hand. "Both of us gave you quite the scare, although you did scare us too, but regardless! The least I can do is phone Hinata for you and see where she's at."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "Kiba . . ."

His friend gave him a stern look as he found Hinata's contact in his phone. "I'm not sure what you two argued about, but you better make it up to her."

As Kiba hit the call button, Naruto held his breath.

After a few seconds, Kiba's hardened gaze softened almost immediately. "Hey, Hinata! Sorry to bug you . . . ah, no no no! Everything is fine! I was just uh . . .um . . ." Suddenly Kiba looked as if he was at a loss for words, but he quickly recovered. "I-I was just wondering if you were at Hanabi's!? You said she had that one movie you thought Tamaki and I should watch. I was just curious if you could grab it for us while you're there?"

Naruto couldn't hear what was being said, but something seemed off when Kiba's expression changed, and he looked confused.

"Oh, I thought you said you were going there tonight. Are you at your father's. . ." Kiba paused as Hinata cut him off. "Ah, Hinata! No, I'm not trying to pry! I just . . . well, of course, I'm going to be curious now! You're not at your father's or your sister's, so . . . wait, Hinata don't be like that! I know you're a grown woman, and you can take care of yourself. Have you been drinking? Your voice is . . . hey don't . . ."

Kiba suddenly brought the phone away from his ear.

"She hung up on you?" Tamaki asked with concern in her voice.

The dark-haired electrician sighed. "Yeah, and I think she's been drinking too. Her voice sounded a little slurred." Kiba looked back down at his phone and punched Hinata's contact again, trying to call her back. However, she didn't answer. He cursed softly. "Fuck sakes . . ."

Kiba put his phone down and gave Naruto an apologetic look. "Sorry. She says she's not at her father's or her sister's, but I honestly don't know where else she could be. Sasuke and Sakura are still in Honolulu, Ino and Sai are out of town visiting his parents, and aside from a hotel, I can't think of anywhere else she could be."

Naruto let out a heartfelt sigh and looked down at the floor. "No, I should be thanking you if anything else. I just wish I knew where she was and that she was safe." The image of Hinata wandering downtown drunk caused a shiver to go down his spine. She was possibly cold and wet from the pouring rain while some douchebags tried to take advantage of her.

"Should you call her sister?" asked Tamaki. "Maybe she knows if Hinata got a hotel for the night?"

Kiba sighed. "No, I really don't want to call Hanabi or Neji. Hinata will be beyond pissed off at me if I get those two involved; heck, she's already mad at me for asking where she was."

As Kiba and Tamaki talked, Naruto wracked his brain about where his girlfriend might be.

Think man! You know here better than anyone! Hinata doesn't like to drink in front of strangers, so you know she's not just stumbling around downtown in the city jumping from bar to bar. She's not at her family's or any of her friend's houses, but I can't see her just going to a random hotel room. If she's drinking, it would be somewhere safe and . . . and . . .

Naruto's eyes widened, and he suddenly thought of one other place she might be. "I think I know where she is! Kiba, what's the code to get into the head office warehouse again?"

To Be Continued . . .