CYPHER ~ Naruhina

Chapter - 18

It was an honest mistake. The blonde fumbled about his thoughts for a few seconds before finally getting his apology out. He was rather amazed at himself for having the ability to churn out such a painful topic so easily. What the fuck was I thinking? He had been so insensitive to her. The last thing he had wanted to do was hurt her, but his blind envy had irrationally propelled him to ask such an inappropriate question. His heart squirmed with guilt as he watched her quivering fingers wrap around the white plastic cup.

"Hinata, I... I'm extremely sorry." He cracked out an earnest apology that sounded like a makeshift attempt to cover his guilt. It felt like an eyewash, but he genuinely didn't know what else to do. He was trying his best. Uzumaki Naruto, you're fucked up in the head, man. "It's okay; you don't have to force yourself to tell me this. Forget I ever asked."

She shook her head firmly. "It's alright, Uzumaki-kun. Y-You didn't know..."
That just made him feel worse. I knew.
He knew. He knew all about the tragedy that had befallen her.

"T-Two years ago, I l-lost my whole f-family in a fire accident. I w-was the only survivor."

She then explained how her cousin's clothes that had gone to the laundromat for dry-cleaning had been some of the only remnants of her family's items. Everything else had been reduced to mere ashes.

"A-And my sister's paintings f-from our grandparents' home..." She noticed Naruto jolt his head up to look around at all the places she had hung up the paintings with an unwavering sense of direction, as if he had already etched their exact positions into his mind. It somehow managed to make her feel as if he valued her a little more than she had originally assumed he would.

So those paintings were made by her sister. He had been so imperceptive. He really wanted to punch himself in the face. His hand slowly enveloped hers as he tried to comfort her in silence. He knew for a fact that he had just awoken a trainwreck of trauma in her, and it was neither his place to step in and offer due condolences. She placed the finished cup of noodles down and got up abruptly, as if to shake away his succoring attempt. Once again, just like so many times before, he was met with a chilling distance that drew a stark line between them. It had clearly been his fault this time around. However, he didn't know how many more he could handle. One of these days he thought he would finally have to step away from her once and for all, if that was what she really wanted. What the heck? I thought I was used to her pushing me away by now.

An sombre shadow of distraught soiled his clear, blue eyes. Hinata could easily notice the tint of inquietness pulling back at his tongue. She turned around to try to tell him again. "Uzumaki-kun... It's n-not your fault." She bent down to face him. "I-I just needed s-some space."

"Yes. I know. I totally get it." His face stayed downcast.

His actions made her smile wistfully. "Uzumaki-kun, th-thanks to you, I feel a l-little better." She tried to cheer him up, and prayed that it would work.

"Me? What did I do?" His eyes slowly grew larger as she voluntarily took his hands into hers this time, and gently squeezed it. "N-No one has t-treated me this nicely after my family w-was gone."

A lump in his throat threatened to break the floodgates of his tears. This girl. This poor girl. "I'm sorry." He repeated, holding up her hand to his head apologetically.

A weak chuckle made his ears perk up, "What is it?" He asked.

"N-No, I was just th-thinking that Uzumaki-kun does this often."

"What?"

"H-Holding my hand up to your forehead."

"Do I, now?"